The Last Girl
by Northern-Southern Belle
Summary: A warning from a spurned Edele prompts Malachai to think about gathering up his coven of children to defeat her former lover John the Phoenix and his new paramour who want to destroy the vampire species as a whole and then rule on their own alongside their children. Crossover with Rise of The Phoenix
1. The Mummy's Gone

**Disclaimer: Only plot and original characters belong to me!**

Victoria was suddenly awoken from sleep, though she didn't exactly know why. Pulling the covers up toward her chin and then let out a shriek when a dark shape began whizzing around her bed. Then she put the covers down and asked herself what the hell she had to be afraid of. Next time the figure came speeding by, she reached out and grabbed it and turned on the light, gasping when she saw she had Kai by the hair.

"Hi, Vicky," he said, chuckling awkwardly. "Surprise."

"I should say it is," she grumbled and let him go. "What was all that sneaking around in the dark for? You scared the crap out of me, Malachai John Parker!"

"I…I don't know," Kai shrugged. "I guess I wanted to make an entrance."

"Oh, all right," Victoria nodded as she gestured at his empty side of the bed. "Come and rest. You've come back to stay, right?"

"Yeah," Kai nodded, climbing beside her and taking her in his arms to give her a kiss. "I have. I promise." He paused. "Should I wake the kids up and tell them that I'm back?"

"No," Victoria shook her head and turned off the light. "Let them sleep. They'll find out in the morning." She then turned off the light, pulled him close, and shut her eyes as she inhaled the smell of the skin on his neck. "I'm glad you're back, Malachai," she told him before burying her head in his shoulder. "I really missed you."

"Well, I missed you too," he told her as he lay her back down on the mattress. "Why do you think I couldn't stay away so long?"

"Cause I'm wonderful and delightful and you miss looking at my face in the morning?" Victoria guessed.

"Your face and all the rest of you," Kai confirmed, making her giggle as he ran his hands over her body in the darkness and then kissed her stomach. "You wanna have a little fun since I woke you up anyway?"

"Might as well," Victoria nodded as they both undressed and settled back in bed. Then she felt him slip his hand between her legs and rub her gently and when she opened her mouth to gasp, he allowed her a brief breath before he captured her mouth with his.

"Oh, I've missed this," she whispered, bucking forward a little and throwing her arms around his neck.

"Me too," Kai replied. "My god, you have no idea how much. There were other things I missed too, of course, but your body beside mine in bed was what I missed most of all."

"Come inside me," she whispered. "Please?"

"All right," Kai nodded, parting her legs, kissing her deeply, and then burying himself inside her, pulling out, and then repeating this process several times while she moaned with every thrust and breathed his name.

They were both panting and tired when Kai finally rolled off her. "You tired yet?" He asked.

"Well, it _is_ the middle of the night," Victoria reasoned. "And if we keep going on like this, it might wake the kids up."

"They're teenagers now. Do you think that even if they do hear us, they'll come and see what we're doing?" Kai asked.

"No, thank goodness," Victoria replied. "But I still think we should try and get some sleep anyway."

"All right," Kai nodded. "Goodnight, Vicky,"

"Goodnight, Malachai," Victoria told him.

* * *

"So, tell me nothing bad happened to you while I was gone," Kai requested of Finn and Molly. "I mean, you both look like you're in one piece." He narrowed his eyes. "Any more visits from my mother?"

"No, thank goodness," Molly replied. "Do you have a plan to kick her ass if she ever comes back?"

"Not 'if she ever comes back'," Kai corrected. "Cause she will. And yes, I do." He paused. "Where did you learn that kind of language?"

"You know," Molly told him. "You and Uncle Adrian say swears all the time."

" _Do_ you," Victoria asked, locking eyes with Kai as she rose to her feet.

"Maybe," Kai said. "But what good would clobbering me do now? Vicky, we have to think of our present situation and why my mother hasn't shown up since I left. It could be that she left for good, but I don't think we're that lucky."

"You know, you're right," Victoria nodded. "What could she be doing?"

"Well, as you pointed out before I left, Vicky, now that Mother seems intent on claiming the twins as her biological children, probably the last thing she'll want to do is bother me. She's probably thinking up a big scheme so that she can overpower us and take the kids so we won't be able to fight back."

"If that's her plan, it's not gonna happen," Molly said with determination. "We're not babies who can just be picked up and brought anywhere against our will anymore. If she comes for us and expects a happy family reunion, she's got another thing coming."

"Yeah," Kai nodded. "I'm certainly not going to subject you to her presence ever. It was bad enough that I had to go through it. I wouldn't wish that on anyone else."

"Thanks, Dad," Finn told him as he and Molly hugged Kai. "We can still call you 'Dad', right?"

"Of course you can!" Kai said, feeling himself begin to choke up. "I'll be very unhappy if you two decide to call me anything else."

* * *

The crashing brought both Klaus and Lucien into room where the mummy was being kept. Just like they'd done in the past, Klaus and Amy had given Lucien a place to stay, but she was more enthusiastic about it than he was.

"Damn it!" Klaus cried. Everything in the room surrounding the mummy case had been ruined and the room was a mess. He threw his body over the case so it wouldn't be damaged and waited.

"Do you really think that's gonna do it any good if we're dealing with a curse or a supernatural entity, Klausy?" Lucien smirked.

Klaus looked at him and growled. "Don't just stand there making smart remarks. Do something to help me! I don't want my mummy ruined!"

They both tried their best to protect the mummy case, but they were immediately thrown backward away from it, then watched as a woman appeared to stand over the case, opening it and making the mummy rise up. Although she was more shimmery than opaque, they could make out long dark hair and evil blue eyes. "This is mine, boys," she said. "I'll be taking it now." And then both she and the mummy disappeared, leaving Klaus and Lucien speechless.

"What do we do?" Lucien asked Klaus at last. "Where do you think it went?"

"I don't know," Klaus replied. "But we're gonna get it back, no question about that."

"Damn right," Lucien nodded. "Let's go."

* * *

But the coffin and Edele were in a place where they would never find them, at least not until they wanted to be found. Using her ghostly powers, she opened the mummy case, stared lovingly down at the mummy for a few seconds, and then muttered a spell that made her split in two.

"Hello," she said to the man who was now standing beside her. "It's nice to finally be out in the world, isn't it?"

"Yes," the dark and silver-haired spirit nodded, his dark eyes warm as he gazed at her. "It was a good idea you had to have us joined together, though, so nothing would happen until we found my body."

"And it got me more power in the bargain, so how could I refuse you?" Edele wanted to know. "After we've joined you with your body, you can do your part of the deal. You remember how to do that, right?"

"Of course," the man nodded. "If it's illegal, I know how to do it. We'll both be alive soon."

"Oh, John," Edele said to the man she considered the love of her life. Not surprisingly, she'd had a history of dating men with the same name, including Kai's human father. "I just…it's almost perfect. Of course it'll take much longer than I would like to retrieve our children, but…one step at a time."

With a sigh, she muttered a spell that sent his spirit hurtling into his body. Once it was in place, the process of animation began and soon, he was sitting up, clad in the clothes he'd been buried in.

"Well," he said, sitting up and coughing. "What a change."

He then looked at Edele. "It's your turn now," he said.

"But my body," she said. "It's…it's been taken away. How can we make me come back without my body?"

"There's a way," John promised her. "It's more complicated than if we would have had your original body, but I'm not going to live while you don't. I'll do whatever I have to so that you can be brought back. I promise."

* * *

"Thanks for letting me come to the museum with you," William told Lucy as they walked together through the local art museum. "Dad woke up early this morning and was in the worst spirits. He had a nightmare about his dead sister coming back to life and was muttering stuff that made him sound crazy." He chuckled bitterly. "Good thing he doesn't set himself on fire like I do when he's upset. The whole house would have burned down. That's why Mom thought it might be best if I left until he calmed down. She didn't want to risk him doing something that would make me angry."

"Do you think that was the right thing to do?" Lucy asked as they paused in front of a picture of some boats on the water. "Do you wish people would _talk_ about your angry reactions to things instead of just sending you away to avoid having to experience them?"

William sighed. "I don't blame them. I'd rather people be safe from me than try and make me feel accepted and risk something going wrong." He looked at her and smiled. "I like it more here with you than at home with my parents anyway."

"Good," Lucy smiled. "I like spending time with you too." They sat down on a bench and looked at the boat painting.

"I love that picture," William told her. "It makes me feel so serene. And as you can imagine, it's not something I feel very often."

"Have you ever thought of painting a picture like that for yourself so you could hang it in your room to look at every time you get upset?" Lucy asked as she gave him a back rub.

"I have, but…I don't know how to paint," William told her. "If I tried, it would just be a bunch of blue blobs on paper that don't really look like anything."

"But see, that's the great thing about art," Lucy said. "Just because you paint something, it doesn't mean it has to look exactly like that thing. You can interpret water or boats in lots of different ways. Finding your own style is very important. You could do it. I know."

"You think?" William smiled.

"Yes," Lucy nodded. "I really do."

"Could we…could we start now?" He asked, his tone hesitant, as if he were waiting to be told 'No'.

"Of course!" Lucy nodded. "I have the house to myself and I could use another project. You want to look at some more pictures for inspiration before we go?"

"No," William shook his head. "I don't think I need to. And Lucy?"

"Yes?" She asked.

"Thank you," he told her, taking her hand and kissing it gently before striding out of the museum and pulling her along behind him as she struggled to keep up with his steps and not fall on her face.


	2. Everybody Needs A Friend

Ian was walking around downtown after getting a hot dog from a stand, along with some groceries from the market. Suddenly, he heard a loud barking behind him and was knocked to the ground as a large dog tried to get at the hot dog as well as the other stuff in his bag. When he wouldn't surrender it, the dog bit him a couple of times before his owner was able to call him off. Ian would have done it sooner with his powers but the dog was so determined that any magic shot in his direction did nothing.

"Hi," the dark eyed man who wore a matching gray vest and pants along with a white shirt said as he pushed the dog away and leaned over Ian. "Sorry about that. He's usually a good dog, but he's really crazy about hot dogs. They make him behave badly. You're gonna be all right, though." He gave Ian some blood and sat him down on the curb after picking up his torn grocery bag and the food that was all over the place. "I'm so sorry again," he told him, repeating his apology. "I just…my boyfriend cheated on me and it's…it's been sort of hard. Really hard, actually. I got this dog as a way to cope and I haven't quite got him trained yet."

Ian looked the guy over. He wore a matching silver vest and gray slacks set, had every dark hair in place, and a neatly trimmed patch of beard on his chin. If he wasn't so mad, he might call him attractive.

"Yeah, well, I'm having a shit time of things with my family too, but that doesn't mean I'm letting a dog or anyone else take it out on other people," Ian huffed. "You gonna take me to the hospital or not?"

"Here, have some of my blood," the young man urged. "That'll keep you stable until we get to the hospital."

"Are you a weirdo or something?" Ian asked him.

"No, I'm a vampire," he replied firmly. "Now, I suggest you take my blood."

Ian did so reluctantly and then let the guy help him to his silver SUV so they could go and have him checked out. The dog settled nicely in the backseat next to Ian and didn't try to antagonize him anymore.

"Did your parents buy this for you?" Ian asked as he looked around the car.

"No, _I_ did," the guy replied. "I'm Ethan, by the way, and you're welcome for saving your life."

"Well, since you put it in danger in the first place, I don't think I _should_ have to thank you," Ian spat. "You rich people think you're entitled to gratitude for everything. Even being a decent person." He punched him in the face and then turned to stare out the window without saying another word to Ethan as he started the car. Even when they reached the hospital, he didn't say anything.

* * *

As he watched Ethan fill out the forms to get him admitted, Ian almost regretted giving him the black eye he had. He had to admit that he had really nice eyes, even if he hated everything else about him.

When they were finally called, Ethan asked Ian if he would like him to go in with him, or if he wanted to see the doctor alone.

"I can handle it," Ian replied coldly, hitching his shoulders. "And I can zap myself home afterwards. I don't need anything more from you."

"All right," Ethan nodded. "Whatever you say." He then left Ian and went on his way, wondering if he'd ever see him again."

He went to the cafeteria to get a coffee, and then thought about leaving, but decided that he couldn't just leave the annoying warlock alone in his condition, a favor that Ian was not happy to see done for him.

"I don't need help from some rich kid," he said, pushing Ethan away. "I don't know how many ways I can say that. Go home to your mansion and your money and leave me alone."

"Fine, I will," Ethan shrugged. "Goodbye." He left him alone in the room while Ian stuck his tongue out at him before heading back to the doctor to get checked over and get the okay to go home.

* * *

"Is that a piano I hear?" Helene asked Malachai as she listened to the discordant notes floating up from the basement of the house. "When did we get a piano?"

"I zapped it in because Lucy told me that besides painting, they'd try and get him into music," Malachai explained. "I think it's a good idea. Find some calm tune that he likes to play and we'll never have to worry about the house burning down or something like that again."

"Oh, I hope so," Helene nodded. "I really do. Cause he burns things when he's unhappy, and of course, as his parents, we want him to have good experiences in life and not just bad ones."

"Right," Malachai nodded. "Exactly."

It was then that Percy came into the room and made a request. "I would like some attention," he said bluntly.

"What?" Helene asked.

"I want some attention," he repeated. "I know that you had to help Sarah because she was little and William because he sets things on fire when he's angry, but what about me? I want hobbies that I do that you can come cheer me on about. I want help meeting new people. Can you do that for me? Please? It's not too much to ask."

"Oh, of course it's not!" Helene agreed. "And we're so sorry you feel neglected. You've been an awfully good sport about everything and I suppose it's about time you get rewarded for that."

"Yeah," Percy nodded, his dark eyes bright. "It is. Now, how are you thinking we can do that?"

"Well, would you like friends that are close to your own age?" Helene asked.

"Yes," Percy nodded. "I would love that. Ones that aren't shifty and apt to get me into trouble like Steve did."

"Yes," Helene nodded. "You need to stay away from people like Steve and John. What's become of them, by the way?"

"I don't know," Percy shook his head. "We haven't talked at all since I came here, but I assume they're still doing what they can at the Council and based on the mischief we were part of, they're going to keep them as close as possible."

"That's probably a smart move on their part," Helene told him. "Based on what happened to my mother and father, those boys can make a lot of mischief if not closely supervised." She paused. "Now about developing a social circle for you, Sarah's play group might be just the ticket since everyone is now the same age. I have no doubt everyone's realized that the children are all grown and doing what they can to bring them together so they don't feel alone."

"And you think joining this group will help me too?" Percy asked doubtfully, eyebrow raised. "I don't know. But I suppose I could try it."

"Good," Helene smiled. "We can go tomorrow, if you want."

Helene called Victoria and asked her if there was such a group joining all the kids who had aged, even though it hadn't been for a long time."

"Sure," Victoria replied. "We have the normal play group, plus Uncle Elijah and Aunt Selina's kids now. Who else from your house would want to join us?"

"Percy wants to try and get some friends of his own," Helene told her. "And I think that bunch would be a good place for him to do that, don't you?"

"Well, I don't think it would hurt to try," Victoria told her. "Bring him on over."

* * *

When Helene and Percy arrived at Victoria and Kai's house, Helene paused by the door. "Now, are you sure you wanna do this?" She asked. "You don't have to if you don't want to."

"No, I want to," Percy told her. "It doesn't freak me out at all."

"All right," Helene told her. "Let's go." They went inside and found the house full of kids. The look of them made Percy a little more nervous than he had initially been because everyone seemed much more sophisticated and attractive than he felt. But since Helene had gone to all the trouble to bring him here, he would find Sarah and stick it out. He looked at the girls and zeroed in on a pretty brown-haired, brown-eyed girl.

"Sarah?" He asked, tapping her lightly on the shoulder. "Is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me, Percy," Sarah smiled. "Hello. How are you? I bet you're surprised to see me like this."

"Not at all," Percy shook his head. "I think you're very pretty." He paused. "Can you introduce me to the other people here?"

"Sure!" Sarah nodded and took his hand. "Come with me." She did what he asked and introduced him to the other kids, but none of them really showed much interest in getting to know him since they were all very occupied with each other.

"All right," Percy sighed as Sarah led him over to Drew and Stephanie. "I think I want to try this one myself," he told her. "I'm sure you have other things you want to do besides watch over me."

"It doesn't bother me to be with you like this," Sarah assured him. But when he again told her that he would try and handle Drew and Stephanie on his own, she nodded and patted him on the shoulder. "Good luck," she told her brother.

He then took a breath and approached Stephanie, who he found very pretty.

"H-Hi," he got out before he even had his full attention. But she ignored him.

"Um…hi," he said again. She then turned and said, "Hi, could you go get me some more ice for my soda, please?"

"Oh, sure," he said, taking the glass, his courage failing him. "I thought we could get to know each other, but fetching you a drink is good too."

"Good," Stephanie smiled. "Glad you think so."

She watched him go and Drew told her, "That wasn't very nice. It probably took everything the guy had to come and speak to you. And he's new. We should make him feel welcome!"

"He looks like he's twelve!" Stephanie cried. "I don't have to be nice to every child who wants my attention."

"Who would you rather pay attention to instead, hmmm?" Drew asked.

Stephanie watched as Ian came in in his tight jeans, leather jacket, and mysterious gaze, and sighed. "Him," she said with a smile. "I like him," before sashaying off to go see if Ian needed something to eat or drink.

"Sorry about my sister," Drew apologized as he saw Percy come back with Stephanie's soda. "She's otherwise occupied. I'll take that for her."

"Thanks," Percy smiled, and then excused himself as Sarah motioned for him to come over so she could introduce him to Junior and Finn.


	3. Nothing To Worry About

"That was some party," Kai told Victoria. "Did it do any good? Did Percy meet someone?"

"Yeah," Victoria nodded. "Sarah made sure of that."

"What about Davina or Ian and Samantha?" Kai paused. "Ian probably kept away because of his accident, didn't he?"

"I think I saw him poke his head out for a while," Victoria replied. Then she went to see Ian and check on him.

"Are you all right?" She asked.

"Yes," Ian nodded from his bed. "I'm fine. Please don't ask me any more questions."

"Oh, I won't," Victoria assured him. "I just wanted to thank you for buying me those tomatoes and hamburger. I appreciate it."

"I got hurt for it, so I'm glad you appreciate the effort," Ian replied.

Victoria nodded. This was the umpteenth time she'd thanked him for what he'd done for her since his accident, and every time, she'd hoped for more of a reaction than the one that she got. She knew she could get him to open up to her. She just had to figure out how.

"What do you think I should do about Ian?" She asked Kai. "You were difficult and people-hating like he is once. Any suggestions?"

"Don't push him," Kai replied immediately. "I know it's your nature to badger difficult people until they like you, but don't do it with him."

"I do _not_ badger people until they like me," Victoria said.

"Yeah, you do," Kai told her. "To me, it's a charming quirk, but other people just might not feel that way, especially Ian, and since we have to live with him, we don't want a pissed off warlock with a grudge under our roof."

"Oh, all right," Victoria sighed. "I won't push him. I'll leave him be. But I think I've gotten to him a little bit. He got me those groceries, didn't he?"

"That's true," Kai nodded. "It's a start."

"Yeah," Victoria smiled and sat down. "It is, isn't it?"

"Now, what have you noticed about Davina and Samantha?" Kai continued. "Anything we need to worry about there? Especially with what happened to Davina."

"No, she seems to have come out of it pretty well, considering," Victoria replied. "I guess being locked in an asylum makes what Thomas did to her be easier to handle. Although she said that she and Samantha went to a bar. I don't know about that. They aren't even old enough."

"Well, you know that a determined person can do anything, legal or not," Kai replied. "And don't pester her about it. If she was drinking, she obviously didn't drink enough for it to impair her judgment."

"Yeah," Victoria nodded. "I guess that's true. I promise I won't say a word." But when Molly came into view on her way to the kitchen, Victoria ran and grabbed her. "Would you do me a favor?" She asked her daughter.

"What is it?" Molly asked and began rifling around in the refrigerator, throwing food all over the floor. "Damn it, where _is_ that leftover pizza!"

"I ate it," Kai told her. "Sorry. You snooze, you lose."

Molly zapped all the stuff back into the fridge, shut the door, and glared at her father. "You knew I wanted that. I said so! You _heard_ me!"

"Oh, stop fussing and zap up some more if you want it," Kai told her. "That's the wonder of magic."

"No, I won't do that!" Molly told him, "It's the principle of the thing! Do I need to start putting my name on stuff? Or zapping a little refrigerator in my room so I can hide away all the food I don't want you to touch?"

"Yeah," Kai nodded. "You might have to do that."

"Anyway," Victoria said, grabbing Molly's arm and pulling her back into the kitchen. "I have a favor to ask of you before you go storming off."

"All right, what is it?" Molly asked her irritably.

"I want you to look out for Davina," Victoria requested. "Would you do that? I'm a bit worried about her."

"Well, we don't talk much, but I suppose I could try," Molly nodded. "Why do you need me to do that?"

"I overheard her and Samantha talking about going to a bar and I just…I'm worried about why they would do that," Victoria replied. "I know being in the asylum made them come away with lots of issues and I don't want them doing anything destructive."

"All right," Molly sighed. "I'll try and nonchalantly keep an eye on her for you."

"Don't tell her what you're doing," Victoria reminded her. "Then it won't work."

"Duh!" Molly told her. "I knew that." She grabbed an apple and said to Kai, "You think we can go visit Uncle Adrian any time soon, or is he still scared of what I look like with boobs?"

"I don't know," he told her. "But I'll check." Then she left and Kai glared at Victoria. "And what was with giving Molly the Mission: Impossible?"

"I said _I_ wouldn't mess with Davina," Victoria smiled and zapped herself up a bowl of ice cream. "I didn't say I wouldn't get anyone else to do it."

"Ah," Kai nodded. "Touche. Good for you, Vicky."

* * *

"So what do you guys think?" William asked Malachai and Helene after his piano practice stopped for the day and he emerged from the basement. "Should I keep going with the piano or just give it up?"

Malachai and Helene looked at one another and cleared their throats before Helene was brave enough to go, "Um…uh…well…"

"You can be honest," William told her. "I won't be mad."

"Well, you're just beginning, so I don't think we can really judge right now," Helene told him. "Keep practicing and then we'll see. You might decide you hate it later. Who knows?"

"All right," William smiled. "Thank you."

"Nice job," Malachai let out a relived breath and then kissed her. "I wouldn't have thought to say that."

"Well, when Lucy hears him, she'll probably suggest he do something else," Helene replied. "We just have to wait for that, and then he'll go back to painting without anyone getting burned."

* * *

"Okay," Lucy told William a little later. "Play a little for me. Show me what you can do."

William obligingly began playing the best he could, stopping when Damon barged in and said, "My god, Lucy. What's that awful racket?"

When Lucy gave him a look and he saw that it was William playing the piano, he quickly changed his tune. "I mean, that was good. Nice try. Keep it up." He laughed nervously and then backed out of the room.

"Am I really _that bad_?" William asked Lucy. "Mom and Dad make that same face when I play. Maybe they're right and I should stop."

"Well, you're just beginning so you can't expect to be a virtuoso overnight, but if you'd rather stop, I won't make you keep going," Lucy told him.

William thought about this and said, "You know, I think I will. I'd rather hear you play anyway."

"All right," Lucy said, sitting down next to him on the piano bench while he put an arm around her and she began to play much more beautifully than he ever had. When they both reached up to turn the page of the song, William intentionally made it so his hand brushed hers.

"You play beautifully," he told her. "And you're as pretty as the music."

"Thank you," she smiled. "I-I appreciate you noticing."

"You're welcome," he told her and then lapsed into silence and listened to her play while resting his head on her shoulder.

* * *

"So let me get this straight," Sarah said to Finn. "Your parents aren't your parents."

"Apparently not," Finn shrugged. "Well, biologically anyway. I'll always think they are. It's kind of like how you juggle two sets of parents."

"What an interesting thing for us to have in common," Sarah mused and then leaned down to pet the new dog her parents had bought. Her name was Sunny, she was a yellow lab puppy, and she wasn't for hunting, she was just for Sarah.

"Well, at least you know that you don't have any parents who are complete lunatics," Finn said ruefully. "I do. I mean, you haven't met my biological mother and trust me, you don't want to."

"I don't know," Sarah said. "Not about meeting your biological mother, but about me not having any crazy parents. Dad tried to shoot Malachai dead, and Malachai created a bunch of kids for the specific purpose of aiding him in killing your bio mother. That's not exactly normal, is it?"

"No," Finn shrugged. "I guess not." He then picked up Sunny, put her in his lap, and chuckled when she licked his fingers.

A few minutes later, Sarah's cell phone rang. "Hello?" She answered it.

"I know you have Finn over right now, so I just thought I would warn you that Mary and Aunt Eva are coming over with Junior," Christine said to her. "That won't be a problem, will it?"

Sarah held the phone away from her ear and said to Finn, "Mom says Junior's coming to visit, just so you know. Is that a problem?"

"If there's a problem, it won't be because of me," Finn told her.

"It's fine," Sarah told her mother. "Bring them over."

* * *

It wasn't surprising to Sarah that Finn kept his word. Junior didn't _actually_ start any fights with him, but he kept throwing him dirty looks and when he and Sarah were in the kitchen together, he shouted very loudly about what he felt were Finn's inadequacies so there was no way Finn could _not_ overhear. But that backfired when they came out and Sarah gave Finn so many of the cookies that she'd made that there was only enough for Junior to have one.

"Here," Finn said, taking pity on him and handing him another one. "I don't think I'll be able to eat all these."

"No, thanks," Junior told him. "I don't want your pity." He then strode off, muttering to himself under his breath.

Finn began eating his truckload of cookies, holding them out of Sunny's grasp when she noticed that he had them and bumped her nose against his leg. "No, you can't eat these," he told her. "They're not for you. They're people food." She whined piteously and then went into the kitchen to eat her dog food.

"You know, she doesn't bond with Junior that way," Sarah told him. "She must like you better than him."

"Well, if he wants attention, we can send him over to my house," Finn replied dryly. "I'm sure Molly would be more than happy to entertain him for a few hours, especially since Uncle Adrian is scared of her now."

"Why did that happen?" Eva asked, shaking out her blonde hair. "Why was I born into Grandpa's second family where nothing interesting ever happens?"

"Your grandparents just got sent through time!" Christine reminded her. "You don't consider that interesting?"

"Oh, I suppose it is," Eva sighed. "Especially with all the crazy aging business that went on with the kids."

"Yeah," Christine nodded. "Selina and Elijah are a bit bummed about that cause they didn't get to have Stephanie and Drew be babies very long, and that's what they waited a long time for."

"In answer to your question," Finn said to Eva, "Adrian was babysitting Molly when she morphed from a toddler to a teenager and it shocked him so much that he still is getting used to it."

"Ah," Eva nodded. "Okay. Kind of like when I was little and would try and get Sean's attention and that made him really skittish around me as an older person for the longest time."

"And how are you two now?" Victoria asked. "Good? Better?"

"Yeah," Eva nodded. "Much. I think you and I need to go out with our spouses sometime. It's good for them to see each other from time to time."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Victoria asked. "What if Sean still thinks of Kai the way Junior views Finny?"

"He shouldn't," Eva assured her. "The last time Kai did anything to piss him off was years ago and I think we've all agreed to look past that."

"Yeah," Victoria nodded. "We have."

"You wanna come with me to take Sunny for a walk?" Sarah asked Finn when they saw the puppy was scratching against the door.

"Sure," Finn said and took her hand as they walked over to the desperate dog and put her leash on. "I would love to."

It was just after they left that Junior finally emerged from where he'd been hiding and asked his mother for the car keys. "I think I want to go home," he told her.

"Because Sarah left?" Mary asked.

"Yeah," Junior replied with a shrug. "What other reason is there for me to hang around?" He paused. "Or maybe I could join them. That would be good." He zapped himself out and Mary sighed, looking apologetically at Christine. "I don't think he's ever gonna let Sarah go."

"It's all right," Christine told her. "I think Sarah will learn how to handle it. Either that or they'll just resign themselves to being a weird little threesome with the occasional fourth coming in the form of Molly from time to time."

Victoria chuckled. "I bet if Finn asked, Molly would be _more_ than happy to try and distract Junior while he and Sarah spend time together."

"Yeah," Christine smiled. "I bet she would."

* * *

After Junior strode behind Finn and Sarah for quite some time and they pointedly ignored him, he sighed and zapped himself to Kai and Victoria's.

"Hey, Junior," Kai greeted him. "Are you looking for Molly?"

"Yeah," Junior nodded. "How did you know?"

"Just a lucky guess," Kai shrugged. "She's in her room. Remember to keep the door open!"

"I will," Junior assured him. "Don't worry."

He went to Molly's door and knocked on it, and when she saw him, she brightened considerably and gave him a hug. "Hi, Sean!" She cried. "Come in!"

She was one of the few people who actually called him by his given name and didn't just call him "Junior" so he wouldn't be confused with the uncle he was named for.

"I know I showed up out of nowhere and you can tell me to go away if you want, but-" Junior began.

"Oh, no, no!" Molly interrupted. "I love seeing you." She opened her new mini fridge and asked, "can I get you anything?"

"When did you get that?" He asked, looking at it with interest.

"When Dad took the leftover pizza I wanted," Molly explained. "You really have to be protective of your leftovers in this house."

"Well, are there sodas in there?" He asked. "I would love a Pepsi."

"There is now," Molly smiled and pulled one out. "Ice and a glass? Or would you prefer it straight from the can?"

"I'll just take it from the can, thanks," Junior replied with a smile.

"I'm glad you came," she said as she handed him his soda. "I was beginning to get a little bored here by myself. What do you wanna do?"

"Well, we've never really had a chance to talk, have we?" Junior asked. "I think we should do that."

""Sure," Molly nodded. "I would love to."

"Good," Junior nodded. "What subject should we start with?"

"Was it Sarah running off with my brother that brought you here?" Molly asked. "You can be honest with me."

"Yeah," Junior nodded. "It was. Him being so perfect all the time and always doing the right thing. Sarah loves him. Why can't she not like him? He has faults too, you know!"

"I know, right?" Molly agreed. "But some people only see what they wanna see." She reached out and touched his arm. "Finn's always been like that," she said. "You might dislike him, but at least you don't have to live with the example of perfection being in the next room over."

"Your parents really view him that way?" Junior asked. "I'm sorry."

"Yeah," Molly's lip jutted out, taking full advantage of the sympathy Junior was giving her and exaggerating things to get even more. "It's so hard sometimes!"

"I'm sorry," Junior said, feeling sympathy for the girl and giving her a gentle hug. "You wanna talk about it?"

"Yeah," Molly nodded as she lay her chin on his shoulder and marveled in the feeling of his strong arms around her. "I would love to."


	4. Playing Matchmaker

"Can I ask you a question?" Percy asked Malachai.

"Of course you can," Malachai nodded. "What is it?"

Percy blushed. "It's a question about girls." He paused. "Never mind. I don't want to bother you with that."

"No, no, it's all right!" Malachai reassured him. "What would you like to know about girls?"

"There's this one that I…that I think is pretty, but…she doesn't like me," Percy replied. "Do you think I should just drop it and go find someone else?"

"I know it's hard not to become enamored of someone because you find them attractive, but if they won't give you the time of day, you should think of someone else," Malachai told him. "You deserve to be with someone who likes you just the way you like them."

"I'll give Stephanie one more shot," Percy decided. "And if she keeps ignoring me, then I'll move on."

"Good," Malachai smiled. "Tell me how it turns out."

"I will," Percy smiled. "It'll go well, I think. I have a secret weapon."

"You do?" Malachai asked.

"Yeah," Percy smiled. "I do."

* * *

Despite the fact that Stephanie wasn't willing to come anywhere near him, her more easy-going brother was more than happy to be on Percy's side. Whether it was because he genuinely liked him or just wanted to make his sister mad, Percy didn't know, but he and Drew had talked a few times since their initial meeting, so Percy decided to ask him about his sister again as they sat in the food court at the mall.

"You shouldn't pursue my sister," Drew told him.

"What?" Percy asked. "Why not?"

"Cause I think you deserve better than her, personally," Drew replied.

"What if I don't want anyone else?" Percy asked.

Drew sighed. "Fine. But _she_ has to want to come to _you_. Forcing her to be with you will get you nowhere."

"What should I do?" Percy asked.

"Find someone prettier and throw your relationship in Stephanie's face!" Drew told her.

"Doesn't that go against what I want?" Percy asked.

"Nothing gets my sister's attention more than something or someone she can't have," Drew told him, his blue eyes honest. "I mean it."

"Okay," Percy nodded. "But how do we do that? How do we start?"

"Well, change your look," Drew told him. "Right now, you're much too casually dressed if your end goal is to be with my sister."

"But why should I change?" Percy asked. "Shouldn't she like me just the way I am?"

Drew sighed. "See, this is exactly why I told you to go for someone better than her. You _do_ deserve someone who will like you in your plaid-wearing, old sneaker glory. But that person is not my sister. If you want her, then you'll have to change."

"Oh, all right," Percy sighed. "I guess…I guess she's worth it."

"I hope you're very sure about what you're getting yourself into," Drew said.

"Yeah," Percy told him, his dark eyes resolute. "I think I am."

* * *

Because he was determined to help Percy no matter how silly he thought his plan was, Drew took him to neutral territory to put the first part of the plan into action because he knew that if he did it at his own house, he would be interrupted by his parents, or, even worse, by Stephanie herself.

"Drew!" Finn said when he opened the door of Kai and Victoria's house. "What's going on? Come in!"

"I know this is going to be a weird question, but…is your dad home?" Drew asked him.

"Yeah," Finn nodded. "Why? What do you need to see him for?"

"Well, for some reason I don't yet understand, Percy here has become besotted with Stephanie and wants her to notice him," Drew explained. "I told him I would help and I thought your dad could help also. He has good fashion sense."

"You're changing his clothes?" Finn asked. "Good. I don't think he'd ever get Stephanie the way he looks now."

"I think you're all underestimating her," Percy said. "She could be nice and caring under all that."

"When she first met you, she bossed you around cause she thought you were a waiter!" Drew reminded him. "How can you get 'nice and caring' from that?"

"I don't know," Percy told him. "I just do."

"All right," Drew sighed as Finn led them to the kitchen. "Whatever." They found Kai at the table, eating as usual.

"Dad," Finn said to him, "Drew and Percy need your help."

"Okay," Kai replied, swallowing his burger and then standing up. "What with?"

"Getting him a new wardrobe so he can impress Stephanie," Finn told him.

Kai looked Percy over and said, "You made a good choice coming to see me. We've got some work to do."

"Why?" Percy asked as they headed toward the car. "Do I really dress that badly?"

"If you're going after Stephanie you do," Kai told him. Then he looked at Drew. "I hope you're not just gonna give him new clothes and then drop him into the shark tank. I think you should work in baby steps."

"We are," Drew assured him. "Don't worry, it's all part of the plan."

"Good," Kai nodded. "Let's go."

* * *

"I don't know," Percy said as he looked in Finn's bathroom mirror an hour or so later. He wore black jeans, black zip-up ankle boots, a red graphic t-shirt with a skull and crossbones on it, and a black leather jacket. Kai had also put gel in his hair and given him a pair of sunglasses. "Do you really think this is me? I'm wearing an awful lot more black than I'm used to."

"But isn't that the whole point of this?" Drew asked from behind him. "To turn you into someone you're not used to? Someone cooler?"

"Yeah," Percy nodded. "But what if it doesn't work? What if we do all this work and nothing happens?"

"Once we work on your attitude, that combined with your new look should send women flocking to you," Kai told him. "We have to make you cool, confident, like it wouldn't matter to you if a woman rejected you or not because you can always have your pick of the lot."

"You can do that?" Percy asked, thinking of Malachai. He sensed that his father was like that, and he sort of wanted to be that way too. "I can't wait."

"You don't have to," Kai told him. "Let's get started, shall we?"

* * *

"You still looking at that picture of Ian?" Drew asked as he came into his sister's room with some of her socks that had accidentally been put in his laundry pile.

"Yes, I am," Stephanie nodded, her dark eyes bright. "He's cute. How can you not see that?"

"He also doesn't pay any attention to you," Drew reminded her. "I don't even think he likes women."

"Now, that's just silly!" Stephanie replied, putting the picture down and turning to glare at her brother. "Why would you say such a stupid thing?"

"I've heard things," Drew replied. "And I don't want to see you get hurt. Maybe you should set your sights on someone else. Like Percy."

"Percy?" Stephanie scoffed. "You mean the waiter?"

"He's not a waiter!" Drew told her impatiently. "He's a guy who likes you for some reason. Just think about it, would you?"

"No," Stephanie told him firmly and took a bottle of nail polish out from her desk drawer before laying a towel down and beginning to paint her nails purple. "Thank you for your concern. But I can handle myself."

"All right," Drew shrugged and left her. "Whatever."

* * *

"You are an absolute doof, you know that?" Samantha asked Ian as they drove around looking for Ethan's house. "I can't believe I missed meeting Stefan for this. Do you even know where we're going?"

"No," Ian huffed. "But I thought you wanted to come meet my new boyfriend."

"I do!" Samantha nodded eagerly, even though it was just an excuse Ian was using so that Samantha wouldn't go out with a guy he hated. He didn't think of Ethan that way at all. Finally, they drove home and saw a car Ian recognized in the driveway. "Fuck," He whispered as he stopped the car. "He's here."

"He is?" Samantha smiled. "How nice!" She got out of her car and her brother refused to follow, so she yanked him out and they went inside, finding Victoria chatting with Ethan over coffee.

"Ethan came to see how you're doing," Victoria smiled. "Isn't that nice of him?"

"Yeah," Ian scowled. "There you go, Samantha. There he is."

"I'm so glad you're all right," Ethan told him.

"Yeah, yeah," Ian scoffed and headed to his room without any more words for Ethan. "Whatever."

"If you're really my brother's boyfriend, you might want to have higher standards and get someone else," Samantha said.

"Is that what he said we are?" Ethan raised an eyebrow. "It's news to me." He took a sip from his coffee cup, and ideas began forming in Samantha's head. "Do you wanna be Ian's boyfriend? I think I can manage it." She told him.

"Well, not if he doesn't like me," Ethan replied. "I don't think much good would come from being with a man who hates me."

"But there's something about my brother that you have to understand," Samantha told him firmly. "He's not used to being cared about. So every time someone tries to be nice to him, he gets skeptical and afraid that it's all lies, which is why he gets so mean. We had parents who weren't exactly kind about our powers. They attributed them to the devil, and Ian got the worst punishment for them because he was the boy."

"Oh, that's so sad," Ethan said, his heart twisting in sympathy. "I'm sorry that happened to you."

"Thanks," Samantha nodded and sighed. "I was glad for the asylum since it meant that I got to get away, and so did he." She leaned close to Ethan. "You really wanna help my brother get a new start?" She asked.

"Sure," Ethan nodded. "I wouldn't mind at all."

"We'll have to start slow so he doesn't run like a scared rabbit, but I think that if we work together we can finally get my brother to a good place," Samantha said.

"If you need it, I'll help too," Victoria told them. Because of the three kids Malachai had rescued, Ian was the one she was most concerned about.

"Good," Samantha nodded. "Let me broach the subject. We'll actually get somewhere that way, or at least be more likely to."

"All right," Ethan told her. "Good luck."

"Same to you," Samantha told him. "When it's your turn, you'll need it more than I will."


	5. A Pretty Good Option

"Well, look who's finally talking to me," Kai said good-naturedly when Adrian finally called him. "Over the shock of Molly yet?"

"No," Adrian sighed. "But I got lonely and I figure there's no sense in punishing you because she suddenly got a figure and it's weird. Don't you think it's weird?"

"A little," Kai admitted. "But then I think of all the stuff Victoria and I get to do now that we don't have to look after a couple of unpredictable toddlers and suddenly, it doesn't matter so much."

"Yeah," Adrian chuckled. "I bet it wouldn't if you look at it that way." He paused. "So…you wanna have lunch or something? You can even bring Molly if you want."

"I'm sure she'll be glad to hear that," Kai replied. "She's really missed you. It's gotten so that she's even had to start going after boys her own age."

"I don't know if I'm sorrier for them or relieved for myself," Adrian told him.

"I'm sure she'll lose interest in him and be going after you again once she knows that you want to see her," Kai replied. "Don't worry about that."

"When do we want to do this?" Adrian asked. "Saturday?"

"Yeah," Kai nodded. "Saturday is fine."

"Oh, and if something happens that makes it so you can't come, cancel please," Adrian begged. "Even if Molly insists on coming alone, I don't think I'm ready to handle that yet."

"All right," Kai promised. "I'll keep that in mind. I swear."

* * *

"Oh, for god's sake!" Adrian cried when he opened the door of his house and saw Molly on the other side in a low cut green dress and clutching a picnic basket. "Please tell me your father is parking the car. That was the deal. We would do this if he came with you."

"He and Mom had to run off at the last minute," Molly said. "But I'm glad because I want to talk to you privately." She laid out the red and white checkered blanket on the living room floor and then opened the basket. "You want a turkey sandwich, or a ham sandwich?" She asked.

"Turkey is fine," he said, trying his best not to stare down her dress. "What was it that you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Junior," she said. "You know, the blond boy I liked when I was a toddler?"

"Yeah," Adrian nodded as she handed him a turkey sandwich. "What about him?"

"Well, I like him, but since he likes stupid Sarah, I think I should just move on and be with you," She bit into an apple and cursed as some of the juice dribbled down her chin and some slopped onto her dress. She took it off so she was just standing in her bra and said, "You mind if I wash this in the sink?"

"No," Adrian shook his head and gave one last attempt to look away. "Go ahead."

"Thank you," She smiled. "I promise I won't be very long."

Once she was gone, he nibbled on his turkey sandwich and tried to calm his breathing. His first instinct was to go to the kitchen and get a beer, but just as he poked his head in and got another good look at Molly, he realized what a bad idea that would be.

"You can come in here," she told him, catching him before he could go back to the living room. "I don't mind."

"Yes, I just bet you don't," Adrian replied. "I was gonna get a drink, but then I decided not to. I can wait until you're done in here." He focused on the water soaking the green fabric and then a vision of her in a wet dress that clung to her body entered his mind.

"No," he told himself. "No, no, no!" He ran out of the kitchen and when Molly joined him, dress dry, she sat next to him and said, "Why do you always run away from me? We used to be buddies. If it's because of how I look, I don't think that's anything we can change. Do you want to throw our whole relationship away over something you can't change?"

"No," Adrian sighed. "I suppose not. But until I tell you otherwise, could you not wear such low-cut necklines around me? It makes me feel like a pervert cause you _know_ I'm gonna look."

"I don't mind if you do," Molly said easily.

"I know you don't, but I mind," Adrian said firmly. "I don't want you thinking I only like you for your body. You deserve better than that."

"Well, thank you," Molly said, feeling very surprised. "Thank you very much."

"You're welcome," Adrian said gruffly as she zapped up a cardigan and put it on. "That's for you," she said. "I'll stop torturing you now. Just one question though: I look good, right?"

"Oh, you know the answer to that, Miss Molly," Adrian blushed a little. "I don't think you need to ask me."

"You're right," Molly smiled. "Wanna see what else is in the basket?"

"Yes," Adrian nodded, reaching for another sandwich after cramming what was left of the first one in his mouth. "I certainly would."

* * *

"Okay," Kai told Adrian. "Tell me how mad at me you are for ditching you and making you deal with Molly on your own. Go on. I can take it."

"Well, it depends," Adrian said to him. "Did you ditch me on purpose, or did you really have some emergency like Molly said you did? If it's the latter, it would be mean of me to be mad at you, wouldn't it?"

"It would, but I wasn't sure if you'd believe me about what me and Victoria had to do," Kai told him.

"Well, I would like to think that we're good enough friends that you'd never do anything to make me uncomfortable or piss me off just for the fun of it," Adrian told her. "Am I wrong about that?"

"No," Kai shook his head. "You're not. How was Molly? Did she behave herself?"

"It was a bit touch and go at the beginning and I thought I was going to die, but I behaved myself and showed her that it would take more than just her body to attract me and she calmed down after that," Adrian replied.

"Well, good," Kai nodded. "I think I'll have a talk with her about that."

"You don't have to," Adrian told him quickly. "We got it taken care of. It's all good now." He paused. "I won't take advantage of the situation, I promise."

"I know you won't," Kai replied. "Cause if you did, I would kill you." He paused. "Or at least make it so you could never come near Molly again. I can't really kill you, can I?"

"No," Adrian shook his head. "Not really."

* * *

"I think you and I need to have a talk," Kai told Molly after he knocked on her bedroom door and she gave him permission to come in.

"What do we need to talk about?" She asked when he sat next to her on her bed.

"Adrian," Kai told her. "I have to say that it makes me concerned how you go after him. You might have aged a lot, but you're not an adult, and I don't want you doing something you might regret because of hormones."

"So let me get this straight," Molly told him. "You're mad at me for being interested in Adrian? Someone you trust? Someone who's your friend? Would you rather I be interested in a complete stranger who doesn't give a shit about me just to spite you? I can do that, you know. Very easily."

"No," Kai shook his head. "That's not what I mean. I just…"

"Well, what then?" Molly demanded. "What do you mean? He likes me for more than my body. He told me so. I think he's a pretty good bet if you ask me."

"You know what, you're right," Kai sighed, pushing his hair back. "It's weird because he's my friend, but like you say, you could do a lot worse and would if I pissed you off."

"Well, it's good you came to your senses," Molly said as she got up and headed to the door. "I didn't want to use the 'You're not my father and I don't have to do what you say' line."

"I might not be biologically," Kai said firmly. "But believe me, Molly Victoria Juliet Mikaelson Parker, your mother and I are the best damn parents you'll ever have and don't you forget that."

"All right," Molly promised. "I won't."

Then she went to the kitchen to get her book bag while Kai rooted around in her refrigerator out of spite and didn't replace anything after closing the door and leaving the room empty.

* * *

"Where do you think the other kids are?" Helene asked Malachai. "I mean, I know we know where five of them are, but that still leaves eight more unaccounted for."

"They aren't unaccounted for," Malachai assured her. "I know where they are. And with Edele out and about, I might have to gather the troops soon."

"Yeah," Helene agreed. "That's good thinking." She then got up and went to get an envelope, handing it to Malachai and then waiting for him to see what it said.

"This is a wedding invitation," he said to her after looking it over. "Let me guess: did your father send it over?"

"Yes," Helene nodded. "He did. What do you think?"

"I think he could've at least let us choose our own wedding date," Malachai said gruffly, looking at the date, which was only a week away. "What was he thinking?"

"That's just how my dad is," Helene replied. "William's really excited about it, though. He wants to be your best man. That won't upset Klaus, will it?"

"No, I don't think it will." Malachai shook his head. "I should go see him sometime. I haven't since I heard they got back."

"Did you show him the wedding invitation yet, Mom?" William asked, his face lit up. "It's really exciting, isn't it, Dad?"

"Yes," Malachai nodded. "Of course it is, son."

"Mom said I can be your best man," William continued. "Can I? And don't worry, I won't ask to play piano at the wedding."

"Thank you," Malachai told him. "I appreciate that. And of course you can be my best man. I would like that very much."

"Thank you, I'm glad," William smiled. "I have to go call Lucy now and see if she wants to be my date."

"I hope she says yes," Malachai remarked when he disappeared. "William really seems to like her."

"And I think she likes him too," Helene replied. "She wouldn't work so hard to make sure he's happy if she didn't."

"Yes," Malachai said as he looked at the wedding invitation and sighed. "I think you're right."


	6. Missing The Honeymoon

"I'm so pleased that your wedding happened during my week," Sarah told Helene. "I'm very excited for you and Malachai!"

"Thanks," Helene said as Sarah zipped up her wedding dress. "If you want we can go back to court and re-do the arrangement of when you see your parents and when you see us. Since you're older now, it only seems fitting that you have that option if you want it."

"No, I think I like things just the way they are," Sarah told her. "No need to change anything."

"All right," Helene said and hugged her. "Good. Did you bring Finn as your date?"

"We decided that he would come and meet me before the wedding started," Sarah nodded. Then her phone rang. She excused herself and went into another room. "Finny, where in the hell are you?" She asked. "It's almost time for the wedding to start. Will you be here?"

"I don't know," Finn told her. "Junior found out I was coming with you, he tried to stop me, we got in a fight, and now…now he's unconscious."

"Oh, for fuck's sake!" She yelled into the phone. "Where are you? At your house?"

"Yeah," Finn replied. "I'm looking at Junior's body right now."

Sarah sighed. "You two are the biggest idiots in the entire world. You can't even get along for a couple of hours, can you?"

"Don't talk to me like that!" Finn cried. "He started it!"

"Yeah, but you didn't have to keep it going," Sarah reminded him. She then zapped herself to Finn's room where both he and his father were standing over an unconscious Junior, who was clad in a suit just like Finn.

"There he is," Kai told her, looking proud. "Finn completely laid him out."

"This is not a good thing!" Sarah remonstrated. She got down on her knees, which were cushioned by the skirt of her light blue dress, hoped no one could see her panties, and lightly slapped Junior's cheeks. "Sean?" She said loudly. "Sean, wake up!"

"Is that all it takes?" Finn asked. "I could have done that."

"Yeah, but the question is, _would_ you?" Sarah wanted to know as she helped Junior to his feet. He was clad in a tux just like Finn was and both the jacket and his hair were wrinkled.

"What happened here?" Sarah asked, tapping a white-slippered foot. "You really didn't have to start a fight with Finn, Sean."

"Yes, I did!" Junior replied. "He was intruding on a family occasion! He can't just invite himself because you're gonna be there!"

"He wasn't inviting himself!" Sarah corrected. "I invited him to be my date! And he's related to the groom for heaven's sake! Now, we better get going before your grandmother wonders where the hell I ran off to. And can you two just get along during the wedding? I know you hate each other, but it's only for a few hours and I'm sure Helene and Malachai would appreciate it." She looked at Kai. "Aren't you coming too? Or are you gonna miss your uncle's wedding?"

"I'm not really a wedding person," Kai shook his head. "You weren't at the last wedding I went to, but it didn't end well and I wouldn't want a repeat of that at my uncle's wedding. However, would you give him my and Victoria's regards and this?" He handed her a large, brightly wrapped box.

"What is it?" Sarah asked with interest.

"A pizza cooker," Kai replied. "Everyone needs a pizza cooker."

"All right," Sarah smiled, letting the box float in front of her and hoping it wouldn't fall down and break the contents inside while taking Finn's hand in one of hers and Junior's in the other. "All right you two," she said resolutely as the boys rolled their eyes. "Let's go."

* * *

"There you three are!" Astrid cried as she spied them. "We've been looking all over for you! It's almost time for the wedding to start!"

"Sorry we're late," Sarah apologized. "We had something we needed to take care of. Now, where would you like us to be?"

"Well, you're the maid of honor," Astrid reminded her. "So you'll be going up the aisle first." She looked at Finn. "And Malachai would like to know if you'd take your father's place as best man because he figured that your parents would elect to stay home."

"They did, but they sent their best wishes and a pizza cooker," Finn told her.

"Oh, how nice!" Astrid smiled. Her curly blonde hair was up in a bun with some wisps hanging down and she wore a dress that matched Sarah's. "Is that what that floating box is?"

"Yes," Sarah nodded. "You wanna take it?"

"Sure," Astrid smiled. "I'll go put it on the present table. And Sean, your grandmother would like you on her side."

As Sarah had suspected since the wedding had come at only a week's notice, there weren't too many people. There were her, Finn, Junior, her parents (who had come at Christine's urging), Alistair, Astrid, Klaus, and Amy. William and Lucy were there too, she knew, but she didn't see them.

They were all seated and then with a cue from Alistair, the wedding music started and Klaus and Malachai went first and took their places at the end of the aisle. Then Sarah came down with Junior and Finn on each arm, followed by William and Lucy, the trio separating when they reached the end of the aisle so that Sarah and Junior could stand with Helene and Finn could glower at Junior's smug face as he stood with William and Lucy next to Malachai. Then Helene came down the aisle and everyone gasped.

William was gripping Lucy's hand tight, his face bright with excitement. She tried to control her face as she felt her hand heat up. She'd probably get a burn after all this was over, but it wasn't like her hand wouldn't heal.

To everyone's surprise, Alistair looked happy and wasn't holding onto Helene like a guard escorting a prisoner, but was instead just walking nicely beside her. Whether this was a permanent frame of mind for him, or just temporary, so as not to dampen the happiness of the day, Sarah didn't know, but it was a nice thing for him to do just the same.

The wedding was being held in Alistair and Astrid's backyard just like their own had been, and when the vows were all over, Alistair slowed his pace a bit as everyone headed inside for cake so it was him and Klaus lagging behind.

"You seem to have gotten through that okay," Klaus remarked. "Were you drunk?"

"No," Alistair shook his head. "I've resigned myself to the inevitable. Malachai is my son-in-law. He and Helene have a child. There's no way around that and no point in fighting it."

"It was very good of you," Klaus smiled. "Do you think you could use that drink _now_ , my friend?"

"Yes," Alistair said and did something not many people would dare do: he gave Klaus a hug. "Thank you," he said. "Thank you. Did you…did you bring something? Really strong, I hope? Astrid said I couldn't drink anything before the wedding, but she didn't say anything about _after._ "

Klaus went and got a bottle out of his car, whispering to Alistair conspiratorially. "This is Devil's Springs Vodka. It's eighty proof, can you believe it?"

"Really?" Alistair asked, looking at the bottle of harmless-looking clear liquid. "Let's see. Why don't you pour me a glass?"

"I don't know if you can handle it," Klaus smirked.

"Oh, of course I can!" Alistair told him. "I've probably downed much worse over the centuries without even knowing it." He zapped up a couple of shot glasses and a picnic table and soon they were doing vodka shots one right after the other.

When Amy found them, their heads were down on the table and they were both practically asleep.

"So _that's_ what you brought that vodka for," Amy sighed at Klaus as she picked it up. "Astrid, they're in the yard! I found them!"

"Oh, for heaven's sake!" Astrid said. "I figured you would be doing something like this. Why don't you go lay down?"

Gathering all his strength, Alistair managed to lift his head and give his wife and Amy a boozy grin. "Why don't you ladies have some? There's a bit left in the bottle that we haven't drunk yet."

"No, thanks," Amy told him and then zapped them both to empty bedrooms.

"What are we gonna do with those two?" Astrid asked, sitting on the bench of the picnic table with Amy taking a seat beside her.

"I don't think there's anything we _can_ do," She told Astrid. "Their dynamic was put in place long before either of us showed up."

"True," Astrid nodded. "Good thing it doesn't lead to trouble very often."

"Yep," Amy nodded and took Astrid's hand. "I think that's a very lucky thing."

* * *

"How was the wedding?" Victoria asked when Finn returned. "Your dad told me that Junior was there too. I hope you two managed to get along."

"Of course they did," Kai told her. "They got the fighting out of the way before they left."

"Well, if it had to be done, I suppose that's the best way to handle it," Victoria sighed.

"You wanna know who won?" Kai asked eagerly. "Finny, go ahead and tell your mother how you knocked Junior out cold!"

"I hope he woke up again!" Victoria told her son.

"Don't worry, he did," Finn nodded. "Sarah revived him, although I wish she wouldn't have."

"Well, we can't always get what we want, can we?" Victoria asked. "What are you going to do with yourself now?"

"I was thinking of doing something with Molly," Finn replied to her surprise. "Is she home?"

"No," Kai shook his head. "She ran off to Adrian's and I wish him the best of luck."

* * *

"Hi again!" Molly said when Adrian opened his door in response to her knock. "It's me!"

"Yes," Adrian nodded with a smile. "I see that. You wanna come in?"

"Sure," Molly nodded. "Thanks." She was wearing a purple t-shirt and jeans and sat down, patting the seat on the couch beside her. "Come sit by me," she urged. "Please?"

"All right," Adrian nodded. "I see you're more conservatively dressed today. I like your outfit."

"Thank you," she smiled. "I'm glad." She paused. "I-I told my…father that I liked you and like spending time with you. After we discussed it, he told me that he would be okay with us being together without him because you're not someone who will treat me badly."

"No," Adrian shook his head. "I won't."

They sat in silence and then Molly asked, "Will you kiss me? I mean, just so I know what to do if Junior and I ever do, you know."

Knowing that Kai would bear him no ill will, Adrian decided to take a chance. "Sure," he said, figuring it wouldn't hurt, especially if it meant she would be able to do something to show that stupid boy she was worth his time. He brought her against him gently, and gave her a light, quick peck before pulling away. "Oh, come on!" She urged. "You can do better than that."

"I don't think you know what you're getting yourself into," he warned.

"I'll take my chances," Molly replied. Then he took her in his arms and kissed her so deeply and so well, his hands sliding down her back and over her shoulders, that by the time he pulled away, she was trying to get a breath. "Wow," she got out at last. "Just…oh, my god."

"See?" Adrian told her. "I said you wouldn't know what you were getting into."

"Well, aren't we full of ourselves?" Molly asked. "Now that I'm prepared, if you kissed me again, I bet I wouldn't have the same reaction. Let's try it!"

"All right," Adrian nodded. "But I don't think anything will change."

And it didn't.

After that, they watched a movie together and Adrian made burgers. "It's…it's kind of nice having you here," he confessed when he put Molly's plate in her lap. "Felicity's out and about a lot doing things I don't even want to think about, so the house is kind of empty and with you here, it's not so lonely."

"Well, I'm glad I could help," Molly said, putting her plate to the side and giving him a hug. "I wouldn't want you to be lonely."

Just after she took her first bite, Junior called.

"Can you come over?" He asked her. "Your brother was Sarah's date to my grandmother's wedding and I have some venting to do."

"I'm a bit busy right now," Molly told him, something that filled Adrian with smug pride. "Can you wait an hour?"

"Sure," Junior told her. "I think I can handle it."

"All right," Molly told him. "See you in an hour."

"What's going on?" Adrian asked her with interest, getting close to her so she would know he was listening to her story. "Junior having problems?"

"He had to spend time with Finn and that doesn't ever go well for either of them," Molly explained. "No wonder he needs to vent." She paused. "Are you mad that I have to leave so quickly? Cause I could stay a little longer if you want."

"No, it's fine," Adrian told her. "If Junior needs you, then I suppose…I suppose that's where you have to go."

"Good," Molly nodded and kissed his cheek before taking another bite of her burger. "Thank you for understanding."

* * *

There was a knock on Helene and Malachai's door while they were packing for their honeymoon.

"I'll go see who it is," Helene said. She was still wearing her dress when she opened the door. On the other side was a girl with curly blonde hair and blue eyes who looked at her with surprise. "Hi," she said after she was able to find her words. "You're Helene Fale, aren't you?"

"Yes," Helene nodded. "What can I do for you?"

"I'll make it quick," the girl said. "My name is Jill and I had a dream last night about Edele McCullough. She's alive again. And you can believe me. My dreams come true all the time."

"You're a witch!" Helene said and let her in. She sat her down on the sofa, just as Malachai came to ask who it was.

"This is Jill," Helene introduced her. "She says she had a prophetic dream about Edele being alive."

"Mom asked me to tell you," She said. "I get my psychic abilities from her, you know. I came to tell Helene because I think it's something her mother and the council should know."

"What about your father?" Malachai asked carefully. "Any knowledge about him?"

"I don't know," Jill shrugged. "Never met him. Mom went to a sperm bank."

"Ah," Malachai nodded, then mouthed to Helene, "There's another one."

"Could you excuse us for a minute?" Helene said to Jill. "And can I get you anything while I'm up?"

"No, thanks," Jill shook her head. "I'm fine."

Helene and Malachai went into the kitchen and put a spell on it so Jull wouldn't hear them talking about her. "Is that really another one of your kids?" She asked him quietly. "How do you know? Any other hints besides the fact that her mother went to a sperm bank?"

"I just know," Malachai told her. "All right? Do you think what she's saying about Edele is true? I hope not. I'm nowhere _near_ ready, although Sarah showed up just in time. She's the last one I needed. The last girl." He paused and then said ruefully, "but it's not like Edele would have been kind enough to wait until I _was_ ready, right?"

Just then, the phone rang and Malachai picked it up. "Yes?" He asked.

"I just thought you'd want to know," Kai told him. "My mother is alive, and so is her friend the Phoenix. They showed up at our house and want to talk to you as soon as possible."

"Don't do anything until I get there," Malachai told him quickly. "Are they going to stay?"

"Yes, but they won't wait forever, so I'd hurry if I were you." Kai said and hung up.

"Bad news?" Helene asked.

"Jill was right," Malachai told her. "Edele and a friend of hers are back and they want to talk to me. I'm sorry our honeymoon has to be postponed."

"It's all right," Helene said. "This is important. We can go on our honeymoon anytime."

"You're the best!" Malachai said and hugged her and gave her a kiss. "I'm so glad I married you!"

"Well, I'm glad you did too," Helene smiled. "You go see Edele and I'll stay here with Jill. Good luck!"

"Thank you," Malachai said and kissed her one more time. "I'll be back soon. I promise."


	7. Avoiding Edele

"Here I am at last!" Molly shouted from the other side of the closed door. "May I come in?"

Junior's father and Helene and Adrian's son Liam was in the kitchen and let her in. "Hi, Molly," he said. "How are you? Looking for Junior?"

"Yeah," Molly nodded. "He called."

"All right," Liam replied. "I think he's in his room if you want to go up." He paused and said, "How's my dad? Have you seen him lately?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact," Molly nodded. "I just came from his house. He seems to be taking Helene's marriage well." She paused. "What about you? How are _you_ taking it?"

Liam sighed. "I just want my parents to be happy, I guess," he told her as Junior came down the stairs.

"Hi, Molly," he said, coming between her and his father. "Seems like you're just helping everyone today."

"Well, you know me," Molly smiled and then said goodbye to Liam before following Junior upstairs to his room. "I live to help."

* * *

Once they were settled in his room, Molly asked Junior, "So, what's your problem with my brother now?"

"He knocked me out!" Junior cried, "My jaw still hurts! I don't know if he was using magic or what, but one minute I was standing up, the next I was down on the floor! And then I had to share him with Sarah at Grandma's wedding. Why did he even have to be there?"

"Cause your grandma married my uncle," Molly said. "Finn's family, that's why he was invited."

Junior scoffed. "Well, doesn't that just figure? If I would have known that, I wouldn't have gotten in a fight with him because it wouldn't have done me any good."

"I'm sorry," Molly said, knowing full well what it was like to be on the other side of a very angry Finn. She took Junior in her arms and kissed a spot near his mouth. "Is that where it hurt?" She asked.

"Yeah," Junior smiled. "That feels much better." He paused and said, "So, what's going on at your house?"

"Lots of crazy stuff," Molly replied. "That's why I'm avoiding it. My dad's crazy mother just came to town and I do _not_ want to see her."

"She a witch?" Junior asked.

"Yeah," Molly nodded. "Her name's Edele McCullough. She died and then she was brought back to live somehow. Probably in a really dark and evil way." She paused as Junior's eyes widened and he rose to his feet. "What?" She asked. "What's the matter?"

"How sure are you about her being back?" Junior asked. "Pretty sure?"

"Positive," Molly nodded. "She showed up at our house last night."

"Damn," Junior shook his head. "Sorry, I have to leave now. You can show yourself out, right?"

"Wait a minute!" Molly cried and ran after him. "Where are you going?"

"Edele put a curse on my mother," Junior explained. "She was saved from it, but I have to wonder if she'd have another go if she found out Mom was okay."

"Oh," Molly nodded. She couldn't help but feel sympathy, since she'd been victimized by Edele as well, having been so hurt that she'd had to get a new body. Now every time she looked in a mirror, she wondered what she would have looked like if that hadn't happened. "You take care of your mom and let me know if I can do anything for you."

"All right," Junior told her. "Thanks, Molly."

* * *

When she got home, she found Edele sitting on the couch. "Hello, Molly," she said and patted the cushion beside her. "Why don't you sit down next to me and we can talk?"

"No, thank you," Molly got out. "Where are Mom and Dad?"

"They saw us and ran," Edele replied, even though that was a lie and they'd just gone to the grocery store. "Where are you planning to go if you don't stay here?"

"I have a place," Molly replied, and after a long talk with Edele which she just could not get out of, drove herself to Adrian's.

"Are you okay?" He asked. "You look exhausted."

"I need to sleep," Molly explained. "I was having a talk with my crazy birth mother and it like, sucked all the energy out of me."

"You poor kid," Adrian replied and took her in his arms after shutting the door behind her. "Sure, you can rest. I'd accuse you of having underlying motives, but you look so worn out that that seems wrong somehow."

"Thanks," Molly replied and held out her arms. "Will you carry me to the sofa? I don't know how much I weigh, but I can't be that heavy."

"No," Adrian said obligingly and picked her up. "You're not."

"You don't have to take me to a bedroom or anything," she said. "You can just lay me down on the sofa."

"Don't be silly," Adrian told her and carried her upstairs. "Why would I just put you on the sofa when it's perfectly fine to put you in bed?"

"All right," Molly nodded and shut her eyes. "Do what you want. I don't care."

When Adrian reached an empty bedroom, he set her down on the mattress. "Do you just wanna sleep that way, or do you wanna be under the covers?"

"I wanna be under the covers, please," She requested. "And I'm a bit uncomfortable in my clothes. Can I have a shirt of yours to sleep in?"

"Sure," Adrian told her immediately. He brought one to her and then she stripped down in front of him, taking off everything but her panties before climbing back into bed.

"All right," Adrian said, taking time to blink after staring at her for so long. "Good night. Yell if you need anything like water or another pillow."

"Wait a minute!" She cried. "Won't you tuck me in?"

"Fine," Adrian sighed. "If you want me to." As he moved her legs under the blankets, he gently ran his fingers down them. They were so smooth. Then he tickled her bare feet and she giggled.

"Hey!" She smiled. "Stop that! It tickles!"

"Does it really?" Adrian smiled, sitting down on the bed and tickling her again. Then, whether it was out of habit or because of an urge, he didn't know, but he found himself leaning down and kissing her.

"Wow," she said when he pulled away. "Did you _mean_ to do that?"

"I'm not sure," Adrian told her and stood up. "Sorry about that. You rest now. Sweet dreams."

"Oh, I don't think that'll be a problem," Molly told him as she pulled the covers over her head and he turned off the light.

When he got downstairs, he found that his girlfriend Jennifer had returned home from work.

"Hi," she said and kissed him. "Was that Molly's car I saw in the driveway?"

"Yeah," Adrian nodded. "She's having a bit of a tough time at home. Her father's mother showed up."

"Didn't you say she was evil?" Jennifer asked, tousling her short brown hair. "And that _she's_ actually Molly's mom?"

"Biologically, yes," Adrian nodded. "She was probably trying to put a bunch of effort into bonding and Molly's not ready for that yet, so she ran over here." He paused and took Jennifer's face in his hands. "You don't mind, do you?"

"No, it's fine," Jennifer smiled. "I don't mind at all."

* * *

With Edele and John hanging around, Helene and Malachai were busy. So busy that they didn't have a lot of time for their son.

This was fine for William because he found Lucy a better companion anyway.

He enjoyed watching Lucy paint, especially the way her body moved as the paintbrush went back and forth.

"You know what sort of paintings I like?" He asked as he came up behind her and moved her hand that held the brush, his body pressing up against hers. "Ones where the women don't wear anything. The human form is a beautiful thing."

"Yes," Lucy nodded and pushed him back a little. "It is."

"Can I paint _you_ without clothes?" He asked bluntly.

"No," Lucy said immediately. "Not now."

"Why not?" William asked. "I'll be a gentleman. You can trust me."

"I just…I'm not ready," she told him. "Damon's still here and I think I need to break things off with him before you and I do anything."

She then gasped as William made a growling noise and a fireball began to form in his hands. Lucy tried to shield herself, but he didn't set her alight. The victims were the canvases where Damon was the subject. Lucy looked at the smoldering piles of burnt canvas. Hours and hours of work had been destroyed in seconds, and who knew what would go next. She then turned to face William, who still looked very angry.

"Don't hurt me, please," she begged.

"I wouldn't ever hurt you," William told her and set another batch of pictures alight. "I just want these pictures out of the way."

"Why?" Lucy asked. "They're just pictures. They can't hurt you."

"But they're of Damon and you don't even like him anymore, so why do you want to keep them?" He asked.

"I keep them because they're pieces of work that I devoted many hours to," Lucy told him firmly. "And you destroyed them. How do you think that makes me feel?"

William opened his mouth and shut it several times, the fire in his hand slowly going out. He didn't know what to say. "I didn't mean to make you feel bad," he said. "I just…I'm sorry. I'll go now."

"No, just a minute," Lucy said. "Sit down and talk to me. Why did you burn all those pictures? Is it because you're jealous of Damon?"

"Kind of," William nodded. "Yes. Also, Mom and Dad haven't had a lot of time for me. I've been very lonely and I'm scared you'll leave me too. Or forget about me."

"No, I wouldn't do that," Lucy told him and gently put her arms around him. "It's impossible to forget about someone like you."

"Cause I'm a crazy person who sets things on fire?" William scoffed.

"You can be very sweet when you wanna be," Lucy told him. "I want to see more of that. And if something makes you angry, I want you to use your words and talk to me instead of just getting angry, all right?"

"All right," William nodded. He managed to get all the pictures back in one piece and Lucy kissed his cheek.

"Thank you," she told him. "I know it's difficult for you to see pictures of Damon all over the place, but thank you for fixing them."

"Anything to make you happy," He shrugged, locking eyes with her. "It's nothing really, considering I was the one who burned them up in the first place."

"But you were able to recognize that you did something wrong, apologize for it, and right the wrong," Lucy pointed out. "That's very good. Not everyone can or would do that."

"I guess not," William smiled. "Maybe I'm not so bad after all."

"No, you're not," Lucy shook her head. "Let's get out of here and take a walk outside. What do you say?"

"I say 'Let's go'," he told her. He took her hand and this time she didn't feel like she was gonna be burned. She left a note for Damon by the phone and then they headed out to the park to enjoy the nice weather.


	8. A Very Determined Little Witch

"So, where's Jennifer?" Molly asked Adrian after dinner a few days later. Based on how badly Edele wanted Molly and Finn's loyalty, Kai had advised her to stay with Adrian and not come home unless he said to. "She's not around much. Have you two broken up or something?"

"I don't know," Adrian shrugged. "She has to travel a lot for work, so that's why she's not here sometimes."

"Ah," Molly nodded. "All right." She then yawned in an exaggerated way. "I think I want to go to bed."

"All right," Adrian nodded. "Go ahead. I won't stop you."

"Can I sleep in your room?" Molly asked him. "My bed's too cold. Don't you think it's cold? We could huddle together in your bed for body warmth!"

"You know I won't fall for that, right?" Adrian asked, raising an eyebrow.

Molly's lip jutted out. "Please? We could even spoon if you want."

Adrian chuckled when he heard this. "Do you even know what spooning is?"

"Yes," Molly nodded. "You wanna know how I know?"

"No, thanks," Adrian said quickly. "I would prefer that that was kept private."

"All right," Molly nodded agreeably.

"So, now that you know I won't go to bed with you, are you still 'tired'?" Adrian asked, making air quotes with his fingers.

"No," Molly shook her head and sat down next to him. "I can wait. Don't worry."

"Oh, god, Molly!" Adrian cursed when she turned on his light in the middle of the night. "I thought we decided you were gonna sleep in your own bed!"

"You decided that," Molly informed him. "I never agreed. Scoot over. I don't see why this is so hard for you. You and I probably took naps together a lot of times when I was a baby, and I bet you gave me baths too. This is no different than that."

"No!" Adrian shook his head. "It was different when you were a toddler. You were much easier to control then."

"Please?" Molly asked, her lip jutting out. "It's not like I'm leaving."

"Damn!" Adrian cursed. "Fine. But you stay on your side of the bed. There will be no spooning."

"Okay," Molly smiled and crawled into bed beside him, pulling the blankets over both of them. "Whatever you say, Adrian." She kissed his nose. "Goodnight."

"Good night," Adrian said and pushed her over a little, before turning off the light. "Stay where you are. I mean it."

"I'll try," Molly told him with a smile. "But I'm not promising anything."

"Okay," Adrian sighed wearily, feeling very lucky that Jennifer was on a business trip so she wouldn't come in, see them, and misconstrue everything. "I'll just pray that you behave yourself. Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Molly told him and the last thing he heard before he fell asleep was a mischievous little giggle that made him shudder.

* * *

"Dad! Dad! Do you have something you want to tell me?" Asked a voice that was very close to Adrian and very loud. He opened his eyes, groaned, and saw a blurry blonde figure standing over him. "What?" He asked. "What's going on?"

"Why is Molly in bed with you and situated like that?" The voice asked.

Adrian blinked several times. "Good morning, Lissy," he told her. Then he felt an arm wrapped tightly around him and a body pushed up against him as close as it would go. "Oh, damn," he said and moved Molly's arm, wiggling away from her, and feeling very grateful that she was asleep so he wouldn't have to be in that awkward position again. "Sorry you had to see that," he apologized to Felicity.

"It's not the best thing for me to see first thing in the morning, but what you do with your personal life is none of my business," Felicity said, stepping backward toward the door. "When are you gonna tell Jennifer?"

"I'm not telling Jennifer anything," Adrian replied. "Molly and I aren't a couple. She just wishes we were."

"Wishes we were what?" Molly asked. Her eyes opened and she seemed very alert for someone who had allegedly been sound asleep a few minutes before.

"Wishes we were a couple," Adrian told her. "Don't deny it. I know you do."

"Oh, please," Molly scoffed. "What do I need _you_ for when I have Junior?"

"Yes, but does Junior like you?" Adrian questioned.

"He might," Molly replied. "And how jealous does that make you?" She grabbed her clothes and headed into the bathroom with them after giving Felicity a cheerful good morning as if there were nothing awkward about the three of them being in a room together.

"What brings you here?" Adrian asked Felicity. "Are you and Lucien separating?"

"No," Felicity shook her head. "I just came to pick up some things and tell you 'Good morning' since we haven't seen one another in a while."

"And let me guess," Adrian said as he smiled sardonically. "You're not gonna come back and do that for a while, are you?"

"I wouldn't say that," Felicity shook her head. "But I'm definitely going to start knocking first, that's for sure."

* * *

"Since Molly left and I encouraged Finny to go and stay with Matthew and Christine, I want to extend you that option also," Kai told Victoria. "You don't have to be here. I know my mother is a pain in the ass. Go stay with your parents. That would be better for you."

"That's sweet," Victoria said and gave Kai a kiss. "But I'm not gonna leave you, though. We're doing this together."

Kai smiled. "I love it when you talk like that, Vicky. It reminds me that you're as crazy as I am, sometimes."

"Of course," Victoria nodded. "I don't think I would have been attracted to you if I wasn't." They then heard Edele call out for a massage. "Okay," She sighed. "Whose turn is it? Yours or mine?"

"I thought we were going to tell her to jump in a lake this time," Kai said. "Are we?"

"If we are, you're gonna be the one to do it," Victoria told him. "She's _your_ mother."

"All right," Kai sighed. "Fair enough." He went out to meet Edele, who began removing her socks at the sight of him. "No, no," he told her. "I'm not gonna be your servant anymore, and neither is Victoria. If you want someone to do those things for you, ask your boyfriend."

"Well, you're not being very nice to your mother," Edele frowned. "And where are Finn and Molly? Have you sent them away? Why did you do that?"

"Because I know how you treat your children," Kai told her sharply. "I had a shitty childhood and I will do everything I can to make sure they don't endure that too."

"I wouldn't treat them badly," Edele said. "I like _their_ father. So don't worry about it."

"I will," Kai told her firmly. "Always. And you've already treated Molly badly. You made her die!"

"I know, but when I did that, my intention was to help her, not kill her, Malachai," Edele told him patiently. "Her death was an unfortunate side-effect, so she really can't blame me for it, can she?"

"You're damn right she can, so don't expect a warm reception from her," Kai replied. "And I bet you won't get one from Finny either. One more thing,"

"What?" Edele asked as he turned away.

"Don't call me 'Malachai'," he said. "Only Vicky gets to do that."

* * *

Although Edele sensed that Kai was just trying to intimidate her, she took his advice and went to talk to John about the situation with their children.

"They've been sent away," she said. "How in the world are we supposed to get them on our side if we can't even talk to them?"

"You really have no one to blame but yourself for this, Edele," John the Phoenix told her firmly. "You've antagonized them so much that they now want nothing to do with you. I guess that means it's all up to me. They don't know who I am, so they won't be able to know what I want from them until it's too late for them to pull away."

"How sure are you about that?" Edele asked.

"Very sure," John replied. "And if they don't choose to come on their own, I'll make them. You remember how persuasive I can be."

"Oh, yes," Edele smiled as he took her chin in his hand and kissed her. "It's good you're taking charge of this. We'll finally have the family we always wanted."

"Yes," John smiled and pushed back some of his brown hair that was hanging in his face. "We certainly will."


	9. I'll Tell You What I Want

"I don't know what to tell you, Finny," Molly said to her brother. "I bet I'm having a lot more fun here at Uncle Adrian's than you are with Sarah."

"I wouldn't say that," Finn replied. "Sarah and I went horseback riding yesterday. It was a good time. And since it was night time and we were by a lake, we…" He paused. "Never mind, you don't need to hear about what we did."

"That's right, I don't," Molly replied tersely. If what Finn was saying was true, he was getting further along with Sarah than she was with Adrian and she didn't like that one bit. Without saying 'Goodbye', she hung up and went to fix that.

"You wanna go swimming?" She asked Adrian.

"I don't know if we can do that," he told her. "I don't think you brought a suit."

"Well, I could zap one in if I wanted to," she said, rubbing up against him. "But everyone knows that you don't _really_ need a bathing suit to go swimming."

Adrian chuckled. "You know, you're right," he told her. "But I don't know if I'm ready to do that yet."

"You mean you will eventually?" Molly asked, smiling widely. "Why won't you do it now? Because of Jennifer?"

"I don't know if I want to answer that question accurately," Adrian told her. "Cause I don't want you to do anything bad to Jennifer to get your way."

"I won't do that," Molly told him firmly. "I know it might seem like all I want to do is have sex with you, but that's not true. I want any sort of closeness I can get. Like how you and I used to be."

Adrian looked her deeply in the eyes to try and see if she was just messing with him to get what she wanted, but she didn't blink or smirk or break into laughter. She just stayed firm. "You really are something, you know that?" He asked her. "And don't get me wrong. I realize that this situation would be a whole lot easier for both of us if I just admitted my feelings but…"

"But you can't," Molly finished. "Cause I'm a teenager and you're with Jennifer. I know. It's okay."

"Do you really think that, or are you just trying to humor me?" Adrian wanted to know.

"I'm not just trying to humor you," Molly replied. They sat in silence and then Adrian let a sigh. "I know that I'm gonna regret saying this, but…why don't we just get in the pool? Only for a little bit, though."

"All right!" Molly said and got off the bed to jump up and down.

Then he said, "We don't have a pool. Is the bathtub okay?"

"Yes," Molly nodded. "The bathtub is fine."

So they headed to the bathtub and Adrian turned the water on. They quickly undressed and climbed into the tub, with Molly going first and Adrian following.

"Well, this is fun," Molly said when they were sitting in the large tub of water. "But we've done this before, right? You gave me baths when I was a baby?"

"Yes, but I didn't get in the tub with you," Adrian told her. "This is my first time."

"Ah," Molly smiled and kissed his cheek. "All right." She grabbed a loofah and began washing him with it.

Adrian stayed tensed at first, but then let himself relax in the water and close his eyes.

"Does that feel good?" Molly whispered in his ear as she kissed his fingers after taking them in her free hand.

"Yes," Adrian nodded. "Yes, that's very good." She then lathered up the loofah and washed him for real and then, after taking several calming breaths, he did the same for her. After they were clean, they hugged, resting in each other's arms for a time, their eyes closed as Molly's head rested on Adrian's chest.

But then they heard a knock on the bathroom door. "Adrian?" Jennifer's voice called out. "I'm home! Would you mind if I took a bath? It's been a long day and I need to relax."

"Just a minute!" Adrian called. "I'll be out of your hair soon."

Molly zapped them both out of the tub, but wasn't quick enough to dress them both, so when Jennifer came into the bathroom, she found them both standing by the tub and covered in towels.

"Oh," she said. "Hi, Molly. I-I didn't know you were here."

"I know," Molly nodded. "I've been having a bad time at home and Adrian let me come and stay, but…I'll go now. Enjoy your bath." She then zipped out of the room, leaving Adrian and Jennifer to stare at one another awkwardly.

* * *

Feeling bad for what she'd done to Adrian, Molly tried her best to make it up to him. She headed to his mother's house and knocked on the door, then waited for her to answer. Selina opened the door and let Molly in, and then the younger girl explained the situation.

"So you're Adrian's Molly," Selina said. "Well, that makes sense."

Molly enjoyed being referred to as "Adrian's", but decided to go for a little modesty. "I'm not his yet," she confessed. "But we're working on that. I sort of messed things up for him and I want to apologize. What sort of treats does he like?"

"He's always been a cookie person," Selina said after taking some time to think. "You need some help making them?"

"Yeah I do," Molly smiled. "Thanks. They'll come out better that way."

"You're welcome," Selina told her. "It's my pleasure."

"Hello, Molly," Adrian got out when she invited Adrian over to Kai and Victoria's the next day to give him the cookies. All her parents were out of the house, fortunately, so she and Adrian had time alone. "What is it that you want?"

"I wanted to apologize for what happened yesterday," Molly explained. "Were things messed up too badly between you and Jennifer?"

"Well, it didn't do us any good," Adrian replied. "But maybe that's a good thing. Jennifer and I haven't spent a lot of time together anyway."

"True," Molly nodded. "Anyway, these are for you."

"What are they?" Adrian nodded as she put the cookie basket in his lap.

"Cookies!" Molly cried. "Your favorite kind. Your mom and I made them together."

"Did you?" Adrian asked, peeking under the towel. Then he looked up at her. "There aren't any spells on these are there?" He asked suspiciously.

"No, why?" Molly asked.

"Well, I don't meet to be rude, but one time, I took nourishment from a witch, and it turned out to be spiked with love potion and then my whole life became a giant mess and I don't want to go through that again," Adrian explained.

"I haven't put anything in them, I swear," Molly promised. And for more proof, she did a spell to show it.

"Now are you convinced?" She asked.

"Yes," Adrian nodded and took a cautious bite out of a cookie. "Thank you," He said with a smile, his mouth full. "They're very good." He patted the cushion beside him and then offered her the basket. "Want one?" He asked.

"Sure," Molly nodded and took a cookie for herself. "Thank you very much, sir."

* * *

"So what's going on?" Helene asked Lenora, who'd come at Adrian's behest to check on Felicity and try to talk some sense into her about Lucien. But before she did that, she wanted to spend time with her mother.

"Dad's worried about Lissy," Lenora said. "Apparently, like me, she's with an 'unsuitable' guy. But if my life is any indication, it'll turn out all right. I'm not worried."

"Hi," Percy said as he and Malachai came through the front door with Jill. "Are you another one?"

"Another one what?" Lenora asked.

"Another one of Malachai's kids," Percy said.

"Oh, no," Helene told him. "This is my daughter Lenora from my first marriage. She's come to see her sister and decided to visit me too."

"Lenora," Malachai said, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully. "The one married to James Black?"

"Yep, that's me," Lenora nodded.

"You don't suppose he'd be willing to help us go after my sister, would you?" Malachai asked while Helene frowned at him in disapproval. "Don't ask her that!" She hissed.

"Why not?" Malachai wanted to know. "We need all the help we can get!"

"He does have a point," Lenora told her mother. "James knows all about what a piece of work Edele is. And once he knows she's back, he's gonna jump at a chance to take her down again."

"Well, all right," Helene nodded. "As long as it's something that wouldn't inconvenience him. I don't want him to feel dragged into it."

"He won't," Lenora smiled as she got on the phone with her husband. "Trust me." She waited a little while and then smiled at the sound of her husband's voice at the end of the line.

"Hi," he said. "Did you get to your mother's all right?"

"Yeah," Lenora nodded. "I did. It seems like they're having issues with Edele McCullough over here. She's gotten brought back to life and her brother and my mom, along with some other people are working on bringing her down. Wanna help?"

"Of course, love," James agreed. "I've been waiting for something exciting to do with myself. Would you have room for me to bring Henry and Susanna along?"

"Sure," Lenora nodded. "Bring 'em. The more the merrier." The call ended and Lenora smiled reassuringly at Malachai. "We have my husband on board," she said. "And my kids. Edele won't know what hit her."

"Good," Helene smiled. "And you don't have to see your dad about Lissy if you don't want to. I just thought you might be able to give him some perspective."

"Oh, of course I'll see him," Lenora assured her. "I'm one of the few people who can calm him down when he freaks out. You know that."

"Yes," Helene nodded. "Yes, I do. It's good you came. Very good."

* * *

"I know it will just break your hearts when I tell you this," Edele told Kai and Victoria. "But I was talking to John and he says that he doesn't want to live here anymore. That he would much prefer a place of his own that's…" she looked around. "Bigger and more tastefully decorated than this. That has enough room for when the children come and visit us."

"As much as I applaud the man for his efforts to get you out of our hair, Finn and Molly are never going to come visit you," Kai told her firmly. "They know enough about how awful you are to not do such a thing."

"However," Victoria said, zipping away and coming back with Edele's fully packed bags. "We wish you the best of luck. Kindly don't ever tell us where your house is or ever come back here. Goodbye!"

"She's not very hospitable, is she?" Edele asked Kai dryly.

"She's being as welcoming as I would be," Kai remarked and literally began pushing his mother toward the door. "Goodbye, mother. Have a nice trip!" Victoria opened the door and Kai gave Edele a push that left her sprawled on Kai and Victoria's front steps. She was left in that humiliation position as Kai and Victoria closed the door on her, ignoring her shrieks of anger that were loud enough for the neighbors to hear.

"I'll put a spell on the door so we don't have to listen to that screeching," Victoria offered.

"Would you?" Kai asked, taking her in his arms. "That's so sweet." She did so and then Kai picked her up and carried her to their room. "What do you think we should do with our newfound peace and quiet?" She asked with a smile."

"I don't know," Kai said with a grin as he pushed her skirt down to her ankles and gave her a kiss. "But I have a few ideas."

They undressed each other at a leisurely pace, their hands slowly roaming over one another's warm, bare bodies as they kissed each other and nipped at one other's bottom lips. Then they fell into bed and Kai grinned down at Victoria, moving her dark hair out of her eyes before kissing her again.

"You're so beautiful," he said to her.

"So are you," Victoria replied.

Kai then kissed down her torso and then she felt his head slip between her parted thighs and give her lots of slow licks that made her moan. She breathed deeply and then closed her eyes. Then things stopped rather suddenly and she opened her eyes to see him looming over her, a wicked, tantalizing look in his eyes. "I want you," he said huskily. "Can I have you?"

"Sure," Victoria nodded, throwing her arms around him. "Take me. Nothing is stopping you."

"All right," Kai nodded and buried himself inside her as she let out a loud giggle and held onto him tight as he pulled out of her and pushed in again while his hands moved through her hair and he nibbled on her neck.


	10. The First Dance

"A message came for you," Adrian told Molly and tossed an envelope down in front of her. "Who do you think it's from?"

"The school!" Molly replied after opening it. "Even though we aren't going to school, they're holding a dance for us anyway." She looked at Adrian. "Isn't that exciting? Maybe I can get Junior to go with me!" She then looked at him sheepishly. "I'd ask you, but you know, you're older and everything. Not that I don't think you're attractive, or…"

"Never mind," Adrian told her. "I'm glad that you have someone else to go with. My luck with school dances isn't good. Helene died during our prom. Came back later, of course, but died."

"Really?" Molly asked. "Did you kill her?"

"No!" Adrian shook his head. "Some really badly timed weather did. And a car accident. I just had to deal with the aftermath. So it should suffice to say you'll have more fun at your little dance without me." He paused. "And maybe Felicity could help you pick out a dress. She's good at that sort of thing."

"Are you just suggesting that because you want me to spy on her and her boyfriend?" Molly asked with a smile.

"What?" Adrian asked innocently. "Why would I want to do something like that?"

"Cause Lucien makes you nervous," Molly replied.

"He doesn't make me nervous," Adrian huffed. "It's just that…I know guys like him and I don't know if I want Felicity with that sort of person. Especially after all she's been through in her life."

"I'll ask her for her help finding a dress for the dance, but I really think it might be good for you to lighten up where she's concerned," Molly told him. "It makes you much more tensed and stressed than you need to be."

"Well, I wouldn't say 'No' to help with that!" Adrian called after her as she headed up to her room to call Felicity.

* * *

"You have to get a dress for your first school dance?" Felicity asked. "Isn't that nice, Molly! Of course I'll help you. No, I don't have plans. All right, see you in a few minutes." She ended the call and told Lucien, "We're gonna have to delay lunch for a bit. I'm helping Molly pick out a dress for her first dance."

"Oh, come on, Kitten," Lucien groaned. "Do we have to do that now? You can help some little kid pick out her dress any time."

Felicity gave him a look. "You haven't _seen_ Molly yet, have you?" She asked.

"And I don't need to," Lucien replied. "Isn't she some toddler that your dad is way too attached to?"

"Not anymore," Felicity chuckled. "And the fact that she isn't makes her the one person who drives Dad crazy more than you do."

"Is that so?" Lucien smiled, an evil plot forming in his brain. "You know what? I think we can take some time to help the girl get her dress. It's only a little while out of our lives, isn't it?"

"Exactly," Felicity nodded, taking his arm and leading him to the car. "I'm so glad you finally came around to my way of thinking."

* * *

"I like this dress," Molly commented about the short red dress she wore. "I knew I wanted a red one, but do you think I'll be able to get away with it at a school function? I heard they were picky about stuff like dress length."

"Oh, don't worry about that," Lucien told her. "I'm sure Adrian will like it."

Molly turned to face him. "I don't think I should be going with him," she said. "If a short dress doesn't get me in trouble, having a date that's older might."

"Adrian's not that much older than you!" Lucien said. "At least not when you look at each other. You look really good in it."

"I do, don't I?" Molly smiled and gave a twirl, even though the skirt wasn't the twirly kind. "Let's get it!"

"Good!" Lucien smiled as Felicity shoved him out of the dressing room so Molly could change back into her other clothes.

"Don't think you have to buy this dress if you don't want to," Felicity said. "I think Lucien's only encouraging it cause he knows it'll drive dad insane."

"That would mean he knows about your dad and me," Molly told her. "Did you tell him?"

"I did," Felicity nodded. "I'm sorry."

"No," Molly shook her head. "It's fine. I'm not bothered by it. But do you think I should buy something a little more conservative just in case?"

"If it will make you feel better, we can buy another dress as a backup," Felicity replied. "Would that be good?"

"Yeah," Molly nodded. "Just to cover the bases. And let's make the other one blue."

"All right," Felicity nodded. "No problem there!"

* * *

Adrian was sleeping on the sofa when he heard Molly's voice close by. He opened his eyes and found Molly leaning over him, and of course her chest was very much in his line of vision. "Oh, my god!" He said. "What are you wearing?"

"This is my dress for the dance," she said, standing up straight so that Adrian saw he got a good view of her legs too. "What do you think? Do you think Junior will like it?"

"Well, um…I don't know," Adrian said, clearing his throat. "Come closer so I can have a better look."

She came closer and as Adrian looked her over, he said, "No, I don't think you wanna waste this on him. I like it, but I don't think he'd appreciate it."

"Should I bring it back?" Molly asked with a grin.

"No, just keep it around," Adrian replied. "You might…you might want it around some day." Then he jumped again when he heard another voice.

"You know, Lucien thought you might say that when he gave her that dress to try on," Felicity said, coming over to stand next to Molly. "Now I'm kind of glad we got her that more conservative one as a backup."

"You don't have to act nervous or scarred for life," Adrian told his daughter. "As you heard, she wants to go with Junior, and not with me."

"Yeah, but I saw how you were looking at it anyway," Felicity replied.

"Thanks for not bringing Lucien with you," Adrian replied as a way to quickly change the subject. "I could have only handled so much shock at once."

"Oh, it's not a problem," Felicity assured him. "Grandpa needed him to go and drink with him. He couldn't have come even if he wanted to."

"Ah," Adrian nodded. "Sounds about right. How's Dad anyway?"

"Not good," Felicity shook her head. "They went back in time to get this mummy, they got it to the present, and now the mummy is gone and both Grandpa and Uncle Elijah are freaking out."

"It's just a mummy," Adrian shrugged. "I wonder what the hell the problem is. Do _you_ know?"

"No," Felicity shook her head. "I wish I did though."

"I think I'm gonna go change now," Molly said as Adrian and Felicity turned to look at her. They'd been so deep into their own conversation that they'd forgotten she was there. "Wanna see the more conservative dress?"

"No, thanks," Adrian shook his head. "I bet it will look beautiful on you. Everything always does."

"You're so sweet," Molly smiled and headed down the hallway that led to her room. "I just hope Junior is as enthusiastic as you are."

* * *

The next day, Molly, Junior, Finn, and Sarah all met for lunch. "I don't understand this whole dance thing," Junior said. "I mean, how the hell did they even know to invite us? We only turned school age recently."

"Well, maybe since it happened because of magic, the council knows about it and they're trying to make the best of things," Sarah suggested and took a bite of her hamburger. "I think it's nice." She then turned around and looked at Finn. "You wanna go with me?"

"No, no!" Junior shook his head quickly. "Don't ask him!"

"I'm sorry, but I can't ask you," Sarah replied. "You're my cousin and people just don't go to dances like that with their cousins."

"Says who?" Junior asked, looking angry as he rose to his feet and Finn did too.

"I would love to go with you, Sarah," Finn said, although his eyes were on Junior and a wicked smile curved his lips. He was winning this contest of wills they had going on.

"I don't know who says!" Sarah answered. "But they just do!"

"It's okay, Sean," Molly told Junior quickly. "Finn and Sarah can go together, and you can come with me." She gave him a brilliant smile. "Then everyone is happy."

"Oh, all right," Junior huffed. "I guess."

"Such enthusiasm," Molly said, her lips tight. "That really makes me feel special."

"Sorry," Junior told her. "I'd be more than happy to go with you, Molly." But his eyes were still on Finn and Sarah, who were sitting together and smiling as they talked about plans regarding pick up for the dance.

* * *

"If you don't want to go to the dance with Molly, then don't tell her you wanna go," Mary chided Junior when he told his family what happened. "It's not good to lead her on like that."

"But it's not necessarily leading her on," his uncle said. "I mean, did either one say they were going in a romantic context, or was it just understood that they'd be going as friends?"

To hide out from Edele, Mary, Liam, and Junior had moved in with Mary's brother Sean and his wife, Eva. So much magic in one place had to be a good thing on some level should Edele come calling.

"Now, let's think about this," Eva countered. "I mean, I liked you for _years_ before you finally felt able to do anything about it. What if Molly has the same sort of feelings for Junior?" She looked at him. "Does she?"

"I think so," Junior nodded. "I don't know why, though, when I make it very clear that I'm not interested in being more than friends."

"Who do you like instead?" Mary asked.

"Sarah," Junior told them.

"Your _cousin_ Sarah?" Liam asked, raising an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Well, she can't be _too_ close of a cousin," Junior replied and looked at his father hopefully. "Right? Plus, I feel it's my sworn duty to make sure she doesn't get brought into the family of a known criminal like Kai Parker."

"That's a very good point," Liam nodded. "You might have something there."

"Although he's my cousin so even if you do marry Sarah somehow, you'll still be brought into Kai's family," Sean added, "I agree with the general sentiment."

"I know," Junior said while Mary and Eva rolled their eyes. "I thought once I explained myself you'd see things my way. And sorry, Uncle Sean. I forgot Kai was your cousin."

"It's okay," Sean shrugged. "I don't mind. We're not all that close."

"I think the more important matter at the moment is Molly," Mary told her son firmly. "Even though you like Sarah, you promised Molly you'd take her and I think you have to stick to that. I bet it won't be some awful torture."

"Of course it won't be," Junior replied. "I mean, Molly's still my friend. I just don't like her in the same way I like Sarah. However, like you say, I will make an effort to have the evening be enjoyable for her and not just ignore her completely."

"Good," Mary smiled. "That's very nice of you."

"Yeah," Eva said and leaned against Sean, who put his arm around her and kissed her hair. "It really is."

* * *

"I'm so glad Adrian called me to come and see you off before your first dance," Kai told Molly as she did her make up. "Your mom is checking out Finn and Sarah and I get to look you over."

"Did you pick that specifically, or was it left more to chance, like with the flip of a coin?" Molly wanted to know. She was wearing her more conservative blue dress while her father was around so he wouldn't freak out. She would change into the other dress later when he wasn't there to see.

Just then, she heard the doorbell ring and jumped a little. "Junior's here!" She said and grabbed Kai's hand. "We can't leave Adrian talking to him for long, or I might not have a date at all!"

They got to the living room quickly, but Junior still looked a bit worn out and pointedly avoided Kai's gaze as he gave Molly a corsage and grabbed her hand to lead her to the car.

They sat in silence for a few minutes so that Junior could take a deep breath and then began driving to the school where the dance was taking place in the basement. At a stop light, Molly came to a decision.

"I know you don't want to go with me," she told Junior. "You just did it to be nice when you really like Sarah. So I think it would be better for both of us if you just took me back home."

"Are you sure?" Junior asked. "Cause I'm totally prepared to do this with you."

"Yes, but it's going to feel like a chore, no matter how determined and sweet you are to make this work," Molly told him. "Enjoy your evening spying on my brother. But just don't hurt him. All right?" She gave him a smile and Junior just shook his head. "You really amaze me," he said. "Thank you. I hope you have a good night." He then gave her a kiss, and even though it was what she'd been waiting for, she felt nothing. She pulled away and tried again. And again.

And then without so much as another goodbye, she zapped herself out of the car, appeared on Adrian's front step, and knocked.

"Back so soon?" He said when he opened the door.

"Yeah," she said, throwing herself in his arms. "Things didn't work out with Junior. Is my dad still here?"

"No," Adrian shook his head. "He left."

"Good," Molly smiled and zapped herself into the red dress. "I'd like you to kiss me now," she requested.

"All right," Adrian said, pulling her close, kissing her deeply, and making her feel warmth from her head to her toes as he picked her up and took her to the sofa without pulling away, although he'd changed his focus from her lips to her neck. _This_ was what it really felt like to be kissed. Not like what she'd had with Junior. She knew that now, and she wouldn't forget it.


	11. An Act Of War

"I don't know how I feel about Molly ditching me at the dance," Junior said to his mother. "I mean, it was probably a good thing, but she left before we even got there. And then I kissed her to try and make it up to her, you know? But she got this look on her face when we kissed like she'd just eaten something disgusting. I think I had good instincts when it came to not liking her as more than a friend."

"I suppose so," Mary nodded. "But I'm just…I'm really proud you gave Molly a chance anyway. Did you have a good time anyway?"

"Yeah…" Junior nodded. "Sarah even let me have a dance with her while Finn glowered from the sidelines."

Mary smiled. "I hope you didn't gloat too much."

"I didn't," Junior smiled. "Sarah even told me I was a really good dancer."

"Did she?" Liam smiled. "That's nice."

"What else happened?" Sean asked. "Anything interesting? Anyone die or have magic go awry?"

"No," Junior shook his head and gave his uncle a look. "Why do you think that something like that would happen?"

Sean shrugged. "I don't know," he said. "You have to be prepared for anything."

"I know you're happy," Liam said. "But Sarah is _still_ your cousin. You'll never have a future with her."

"So I should just leave her to Finn," Junior huffed. "Is that what you're saying?"

"If you're interested in her being happy, I think you should," Liam nodded.

"Oh, all right," Junior sighed. "But I think being with him is gonna lead to more trouble than she deserves." He then left his family and went to his room where he called Sarah's phone. She didn't answer and it went to her voice mail. "Sarah, it's Sean," he said. "I know you're probably out with Finn right now and I'm not calling to scold you for that or anything, but…just know that if you ever get into trouble, you can call me, and I'll be there in a flash, all right? Love you." He then ended the call, put his phone back on his bedside table, and stared up at the ceiling.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the living room, the adults were talking among themselves.

"Do you think we should be worried about Junior's infatuation with Sarah?" Mary asked. "Maybe we should introduce him to some other girls. That wouldn't hurt, would it?"

"I don't think that will help anything," Eva replied. "When a person wants one person in particular, the last thing that will change their minds is trying to get them interested in someone else."

"Listen to her," Sean told his sister firmly. "She knows what she's talking about. She's like the poster child for that."

"All right, all right," Mary backed off. "It was just a suggestion. What do _you_ suggest we do about it?"

"Nothing more," Sean said. "We told him what we feel about the situation and now it's up to him what to do."

"You really think that's best?" Mary asked skeptically. "What if we end up dancing at their wedding?"

"Then that's what happens, although hopefully good sense will prevail before then and Junior will realize that it's better for him and Sarah to be friends and nothing else," Liam said firmly.

"Well," Mary sighed and leaned against her husband. "That's what we can all hope for, can't we? That something will happen to convince Junior that he and Sarah should just be friends and that's it."

"And if we get desperate, we can ask your dad to make some sort of potion makes them hate each other and stick in their food," Liam smiled and kissed Mary's hair. "Your dad's good at that stuff, right?"

"Yeah, but I don't think he'd do it," Mary replied. "Other than when he made Mom miscarry because he wasn't ready to be a father, he's not real enthusiastic about doing things that take away people's free will."

"He's not?" Liam huffed. "Well, that's disappointing. "I guess we'll just have to think of something else then, won't we?"

"Yes," Mary said and kissed him. "And the family will be better for it."

* * *

"Thank you so much for helping me with this," Finn told Sarah as they stood outside of Kai and Victoria's house a few days later. "I've been avoiding my birth parents forever and I just…I need to go face them. I mean, true I promised that I would meet my parents alone, but I'm sure that given how nerve-wracking it is to be with someone so dark and dangerous that I barely know, they won't mind my having someone with me."

"No problem," Sarah replied. "I'm here for you. You know that."

He then took a deep breath and went inside, thankful that it would be his birth father he would be talking to this time around and not Edele cause she was apparently keeping a close eye on Kai and Victoria so they wouldn't interrupt the meeting. He'd already had enough of her for one lifetime.

"I thought you said that we would be talking alone," John the Phoenix told him with a frown as it became clear that Finn wasn't alone. "Weren't those your exact instructions?"

"Well, yes, but this is the first time we talked, so I thought a little back up wouldn't hurt," Finn said. "Sarah's not dangerous or evil. She's my friend. She won't hurt you."

"She might not hurt," The Phoenix told him. "But I do." He put a spell on Sarah that made it seem like shocks were going through her body. Finally, she fell to the floor, twitching.

"All right," The Phoenix said and grabbed Finn as Sarah reached for her phone to call Junior. "Let's go."

* * *

"Are you okay?" Eva asked when Junior carried the half-conscious Sarah into the house and laid her on the sofa. "Oh, my god. What happened?"

"You didn't run into Edele, did you?" Mary asked worriedly. "She's bad news."

"No, thankfully, we didn't run into Edele," Junior told his mother. "Apparently she's got someone else with her, though. Sarah went with Finn to meet his birth father who's Edele's boyfriend. He promised he would come alone, so Sarah's presence wasn't looked on kindly and he zapped her. She stayed conscious enough to call me, but conked out in the car on the way over here and just woke up when I brought her in."

"Where am I?" Sarah asked woozily. "Junior, what happened?"

"You got hurt," Junior told her firmly. "Finn made you get hurt. But you're away from him now and we're gonna make you better before taking you back to your mother and father, all right?" He kissed her forehead. "You're gonna be okay."

Sean made her a potion that got her strength up so she could at least sit by herself and then Mary asked, "All right, what happened?"

"Finn and I went to his house because he wanted company when he met his birth father, but since he'd promised before that he would come alone, my presence wasn't exactly welcome and he zapped me and took Finn away." She gasped and grabbed Junior by his collar. "He's missing!" She said, her eyes wide. "That awful man took him and we have to get him back! He could be dead by now for all we know!"

"All right, all right," Junior told her. "Lie down now. You've been through a lot and you don't want to get overwrought."

Sarah frowned. "You don't want to find Finn at all, do you? I know you don't like him, but I thought you'd be a better person than to be so petty as to let him die or be hurt just because you want my attention."

"Of course I want him to be found because I want you to be happy," Junior told her patiently. "But do you really think I'm the right person to be in charge of the entire rescue operation? I don't have that kind of pull."

"But I do," Liam assured her. "I'll help."

"Yeah, and he's my cousin's son, so I'll help too," Sean added.

"And me," Mary said. "Having Edele or anyone connected with her on your tail is not a fun thing, so I'm gonna make sure he gets out all right."

"And I'll come too, Eva added from the sofa as she filed her nails. "That should go without saying."

"Thank you," Sarah smiled. "Thank you, everyone."

* * *

"So how are you doing now?" Adrian asked Kai. "Want another drink?"

"No," Kai said as he paced around the living room. "I can't believe this. I bet my mother is laughing herself sick now. Thank goodness Molly was at your house where they couldn't take her too." He then paused and looked at his friend. "I know you want to help and it's so nice of you to be here for moral support, but can you go by your house and stay there with Molly? I think your time would be better spent there."

"I understand why you would think that," Adrian told his friend patiently. "But I really think she can take care of herself."

"I don't know," Kai said doubtfully.

Adrian sighed and then called Molly. "Hey," he said. "Your dad's really nervous about you being alone on account of what happened to your brother. He wants you to come home so he can keep an eye on you."

" _Does_ he?" Molly asked, and then in the next few seconds, she'd zapped herself home and was right in Kai's face. "All right, big brother, I'm home. Are you happy now? You can watch me every minute if you want to."

"You _do_ realize that your brother was snatched from this house and the same thing could happen to you if you're not careful, right?" Kai told her. "And that the person kidnapping you will probably be the same person who murdered you when you were a baby so your Uncle Adrian and I had to get you a whole new body?"

"Yeah," Molly nodded. "I know that. But I don't think it's anything to lose your head over. Nothing gets accomplished that way."

"Just stay where someone will see you, all right?" Kai asked. "Please?"

"Oh, all right," Molly sighed. "I will."

She went in search of her mother, who cried out in relief when she saw her and gave her a big hug. "I'm so glad you came back!" She said.

"I'm glad you're happy," Molly replied, her voice muffled. "But doesn't _anyone_ think I can take care of myself here?"

"Of course we do," Victoria assured her. "We're just dealing with some very powerful magical people here and we don't want you to get hurt." She sat back down and began ripping up tissues from the box beside her and throwing them on the floor. "I'm gonna feel so much better when your grandparents and mine get here, along with Malachai. I figure two couples from my family against one couple from your dad's makes us about even. Don't you think?"

"Let's hope so," Molly replied. "Cause it seems like we're screwed if it doesn't. _I_ mean, I don't think that, but everyone else does."

"And with good reason," Victoria told her. "Just you wait and see."


	12. How To Get Behind Enemy Lines

Helene and Malachai were roused from the sleep soon after by a very panicked Jill with Percy at her side. "Edele and her husband have taken someone," she said. "He needs to be rescued!" She paused. "Well, actually, I don't think he's going to be seriously hurt, but it wouldn't do any harm to go find him."

"What's happened?" Malachai asked her firmly after getting over the shock of her standing over him and staring silently. "Tell me exactly what went on in your vision and don't leave anything out."

"All right," Jill said, boosting herself up next to him on the mattress while Helene went to get some coffee. "I saw…I saw a man in dark clothes sitting in someone's living room. He had dark hair and dark eyes also. Then a boy and a girl came in. The boy had darker hair and dark eyes and so did the girl. The girl spoke to him and called him "Finn."

"That's my nephew!" Malachai burst out, and she gave him a look. "Sorry," he apologized. "Please, go on."

"Anyway," Jill continued, "The boy and the man talked for a bit, and then the man hit the girl with some magic and she was twitching and convulsing on the floor while the man and Finn went away. I'm pretty sure the man in my vision was Edele's husband."

"But Edele doesn't have a husband," Malachai told her, his eyebrows knitting. "She never married. Not that I'm going to doubt the veracity of your visions, of course. But I just think it's odd."

Jill shrugged. "Well, whoever he is, he took your nephew and you might want to think about rescuing him, like I said before."

"Yes," Malachai nodded. "Yes we should. Thank you for letting us know."

"You're welcome," Jill replied. "It seems like I came just in time, doesn't it?"

"Yes," Malachai nodded as Helene brought them coffee. "Yes it does." When Helene came in with her coffee, he said, "I have to go see Kai and Victoria about Finn today. I know your mother is working on getting the council back in order, but could you just call her and let her know that my sister has been resurrected and is back to her troublesome ways?"

"Sure," Helene nodded. "Of course. But she might already know. She knows lots of things."

Malachai shrugged. "Well, so much the better, then."

* * *

"So you haven't heard anything from anyone since Finn was taken?" Malachai asked Kai. "Not one peep?"

"Well I didn't think there would be one, so I thought I would ask you to come and talk to Mother with me," Kai told him. "Safety in numbers and all."

"Yes," Malachai nodded. "That's smart thinking."

Then Kai looked at Victoria. "And you'll keep making plans with your side of the family?"

"Of course!" Victoria nodded. "Why wouldn't I?"

"All right," Kai said, his voice full of steely resolve. "Let's go talk to Mother about what the hell she did with my son."

"Yes," Malachai nodded. "Let's do it."

* * *

"What do you mean you don't know what's going on with Finn?" Malachai did his best to hold onto his temper and not shout too loudly at his sister. "He was kidnapped! That's what's going on! And don't play dumb! I know this was your idea!"

"I admit that I wanted him to be part of our family," Edele agreed, her blue eyes actually troubled. "And Molly too. They _are_ our children, after all. But I didn't have anything to do with the kidnapping. That was John's idea. Stop badgering me and take it up with him."

"Well, as that will be somewhat difficult without backup, all we want to know is if Finn is hurt or dead," Malachai told her. "Is he?"

"Of course not, you idiot!" Edele whispered angrily. "What good would it do for us if we killed him?"

"I don't have any idea, but I know you too well to not let the thought bounce around in my head for a little bit," Malachai replied.

"Especially since we know how you treat your children," Kai told her darkly. "The male ones, anyway."

"Oh, don't be stupid!" Edele frowned at him. "The situation with you is different than the one with Finn. He's wanted."

"Yes, and kidnapping him and hurting a friend of his is exactly the way to show it," Kai gave his mother a thin-lipped smile. "Do you really think he's gonna give you any loyalty after this?"

"I'm sure John will find a way to make it happen," Edele nodded. "I just…I hope he doesn't hurt him."

"Are you saying you'd let that happen?" Kai asked, rising to his feet and nearly jumping across the table to attack his mother. "That you'd even let the son you want be hurt or even killed because his father is a nut?"

"Of course not!" Edele said. "I would try and save him. I'm just…I don't know how successful I would be."

"What the hell sort of men do you let yourself get involved with, Edele?" Malachai asked, shaking his head. "Bridget had a nice, normal marriage with a perfectly wonderful man. Why couldn't you do the same?"

"Don't you wish I could have?" Edele snapped. "Things would have been a lot easier for me that way. But it's just not how it worked out. Now if you don't mind, now that you know Finn is safe, please go away before John figures out you're here."

A loud cry echoed through the house then and Kai felt all the hairs rise up on the back of his neck. "How are we supposed to know Finn is safe? I don't think we do, not for sure. What the hell was that?"

"I-I don't know," Edele said, looking frightened for what seemed like the first time in her life. "You two go. I'll check on him, I swear."

"You better," Kai spat. He and Malachai disappeared and Edele ran to the room where John and Finn were 'bonding'.

"What's all this noise?" She called. "John, what are you doing to Finn? He better not be hurt or dead!"

"Oh, relax," John called back, "Nothing is wrong with him."

But when Edele came in, she saw Finn lying sprawled on his back on the hard stone floor with a hand over a wound on his cheek, which was only noticeable because of the blood that trickled under the spot his hand covered.

"You _do_ realize that if you do things like yelling at our children and hurting them, we'll never get their loyalty, right?" Edele told John in an angry whisper after dragging him off to a corner as Finn struggled to get up. "And that's what we need. I know you like being the Phoenix, a source of fright to the world, but at least show restraint with your children."

"I'm surprised at you, darling," John told her as he put a cool palm against her cheek. "I thought you would be much more like me when it came to how our children would be raised."

"I was until I actually saw you handling him," Edele said. "If this is how you handle your son, I'm wondering whether I should even let Molly near you."

"You _murdered_ her and _I'm_ the one you're worried about her being around?" John chuckled, some of his brown hair speckled with gray hanging down in his eyes. "Well, that's rich. Hopefully Molly got the backbone that her brother seems to lack."

"Yes," Edele told him firmly as she took Finn's hand and led him out of the basement. "I really think she does."

* * *

"Okay," Molly said as she sat sandwiched between Mikael and Kol. "What's our first move? What do we do?"

"Well, I have one idea, but I know your mother will never go for it," Mikael replied.

"What is it?" Molly wanted to know.

"Well, would you be willing to be used as bait to save your brother?" Mikael asked her.

"Grandpa!" Victoria cried, looking horrified. "I've already had one child be kidnapped. I'm not gonna lose the other one too."

"Oh, come on, Mom!" Molly said. "It could be fun!"

"'Fun'?" Victoria repeated. "What in the world would make you think that?"

"Well, I could beat the crap out of them and they'd never bother us again!" Molly smiled. "I'd be so powerful! And I'm not scared, either."

"That's very commendable," Mikael told her. "But it's going to take more than a punch in the nose to get the Phoenix off our tracks."

"Why?" Molly asked.

"Yeah, why?" Kol wanted to know. "Why's everyone so scared of him? Surely he can't beat us."

"He can," Mikael nodded. "He's immensely powerful."

" _How_ powerful?" Molly asked, cause she needed to know what that meant for her as his daughter.

"Well, his sisters, Ena and Enid, created werewolves and vampires many, _many_ years ago," Mikael said. "But before they actually cast the spell for good, they practiced on him. Therefore, besides being a warlock, he's also a werewolf and a vampire. All three at the same time."

"Oh," Molly made a face and sat down. "I was hoping for something more fantastic than that. I'm a witch and a vampire too, you know."

"Yes, but like I said, he has much more power than you," Mikael told her patiently. "And it takes a hell of a lot to subdue him. I don't know who put him in his tomb in the first place, but I commend them."

"So what will we do instead if we can't kill him?" Molly wanted to know. "Do you still want me to do the bait thing? Cause I'm not against it. I sort of want to meet my birth parents."

"Oh, god," Victoria groaned. "Why? Is it because they seem more interesting? Being interesting can lead to trouble, you know."

"I know," Molly nodded. "But we need someone to deal with this that they'll actually let near them and I could be that person. That's all I'm saying."

"And how do you think Adrian will feel about this?" Victoria wanted to know.

"He's gonna throw a fit probably," Molly replied. "But it's my life and I think we all know that I'm hard to kill."

"It's not the killing we're worried about," Kol told her. "It's that you could be brainwashed into being on their side and then turn against us. And we don't want that."

"And then there's the worse possibility," Victoria added. "That you would just choose to go with them _of your own accord_ and turn against us."

"I wouldn't do that," Molly assured her mother. "This family means too much to me for me to just turn away like that."

"Well, I hope so," Victoria replied and then went to get some blood to calm her nerves.

"If you need to go hunting, we can go, Vicky," Kai offered.

"Yes," Victoria nodded. "Some nice juicy humans ought to do the trick and cheer me up."

"Good," Kai said and began steering her toward the door. "Maybe we'll have your parents come with us too, just for the company. What do you think?"

"That sounds good," Victoria nodded. "Let's do it."

* * *

"So let me get this straight," Adrian told Molly. "Your brother got kidnapped and now your parents want to use you as bait for his kidnappers to get him back?"

"Yeah," Molly nodded. "That's what they want. I'm not against it. And not that your telling me I can't would stop me, but I just thought I would let you know."

"Well, thank you for the warning," Adrian said. "That's really kind of you."

"And actually, it's Grandpa Mikael and Grandpa who made the plan," Molly corrected. "Dad and Mom are as nervous about it as you are."

"I'm _not_ nervous," Adrian told her. "I know that you'll come out of it okay, but…I don't like the thought of you being taken advantage of or hurt. That's all."

Molly kissed his cheek. "You're so sweet to think of me that way."

"I know," he said, taking her in his arms. "I don't think such things about everyone. When is it you're going?"

"I don't know," Molly shrugged. "Once my parents get talked into it, I guess."

He inhaled the scent of her hair and then said, "You're gonna hear me say this a million times, but please: for god's sake, take care of yourself. I've connected with no one my whole life like I did with you. The last time I felt this loved and secure with a woman, I was being hugged goodnight by my mother."

"Really?" Molly smiled. "You're not making that up?"

"No," Adrian shook his head. "I'm not making that up."

And because he was serious, he called Helene that night. "You've told your mom about the whole Edele kidnapping thing right?" He asked. "This isn't the first time you've heard of it?"

"Oh, no," Helene assured him. "Malachai's daughter Jill saw Finn's kidnapping in a vision, and once we knew, I called Mom right away. Why?"

"Cause we're gathering the troops over on my end too, and both Mikael and Kol think that the best way to rescue Finn is to use Molly as bait. You know, distract them with the much darker thinking sibling so we can get the gentler one to safety, and I just…before Molly went off and risked her life, I wanted to make sure that the Council was aware."

"They are," Helene told him. "Molly is going to be looked after by so many people, she won't actually have a moment's privacy, even if she doesn't know it. But don't tell her that. We don't want her to do anything risky or stupid."

"I won't tell her," Adrian promised. "And Helene?"

"What?" Helene asked.

"Thank you," he got out. "Thank you for protecting Molly. It means a lot to me."

"I know it does," Helene replied. "And you're welcome."


	13. How To Save A Life

"Now are you certain you want to do this?" Victoria asked as they got out of Kai's car and hurried toward Edele and John's house to rescue Finn. Cause after hearing Margot's report and the limited time they had to get him out of there, Victoria wanted it done right away. To get it done, Molly had agreed to bond with John and Edele in his place. "You don't have to, you know."

"Yes, I want to," Molly said. "I told you I would be fine. I heard from Grandpa Kol and Grandma Margot what they're doing to Finn and I want to see if I can fix it."

"All right," Victoria told her. "Do you have your phone? If you need us, your dad and I will be in the car."

"For how long?" Molly asked. "The entire time I'm here? I'm grateful for your dedication to my safety, but it's really not necessary."

"Yes, it is!" Victoria said and grabbed her shoulders. "I know you've thought I was silly your whole life, but for once, please just humor me and let me stay here so I know that you're all right with my own eyes."

"All right," Molly nodded. "You can stay. Just don't get cramps in your arms and legs and stuff while you and Dad are spying."

"All right," Victoria smiled. "We will." She paused. "I mean, we won't."

"Good," Molly said, and the headed toward John and Edele's front door, wishing passionately that she was cuddling with Adrian instead. She stepped in front of it as Victoria and Kai watched from the driveway, took a deep breath, and knocked on the door.

* * *

"Well, isn't this a pleasant surprise?" Edele smiled and came to embrace Molly in a bone-crunching hug. "How wonderful to see you, dear. Do you like being older? That's why I did the spell to make you and all your little friends age."

" _You_ did that?" Molly asked, feeling surprised and a little envious. "Wow, you must be _really_ powerful."

Edele chuckled. "Well, I suppose you could say that between your father and me, we know a thing or two." She let her go and then they both sat at the kitchen table.

"So…what brought you here?" Edele asked. "Does it have something to do with your brother? Have you come to rescue him?"

"How scornful of me would you be if I said 'Yes'?" Molly wanted to know.

"I'm glad, actually," Edele told her. "Your father's been trying to toughen Finn up and he hasn't been successful."

Just then, John and Finn came up and Finn just looked tired. When John saw Molly, he smiled. "Well, if it isn't the strong one? How are you, darling? Did you come to visit?"

"Yes," Molly nodded. "But only if you let Finn go and don't hurt him anymore. Then I'll visit on a regular basis. All right?"

"All right," John replied and pushed Finn in Molly's direction. "You can send him home and I won't give you trouble. He needs to have a rest anyway. I think I burned him out."

"Yes, well, that's very generous of you," Finn scoffed. "How kind to give me time to recover after that beating you gave me."

"You beat him?" Edele asked and strode over to John. "Do _not_ put bruises all over our children! Do you know how much work it was to make them exist in the first place?"

"Can we not go any further in this line of conversation?" Finn requested. "I'm beginning to be ill."

"Come on, Finn," Molly said and took her brother's arm. "I'll take you outside. Mom and Dad are waiting in the car."

"Excuse me?" John asked, turning.

"Mom and Dad," Molly repeated. "We just met you. You can't expect us to start calling you such intimate names so soon."

"She has a good point," Edele told him. "Just try and be patient."

They watched them go and John growled, "Should we go after them? What if Molly doesn't come back?"

"Of course she'll come back," Edele told him. "I honestly do believe that she's more open to the power we could offer her than her brother is."

"You think she'll be as easy to convince as Freya was?" John asked, raising an eyebrow and grinning. "Getting two people to turn against the Original family is more than we ever hoped for!"

"Yes, she'll be as easy to convince as Freya was," Edele sighed, not liking the lithe blonde who was now sleeping in the room next to theirs. "How did you convince _her_ anyway?"

John smirked. "A gentleman never tells those things."

* * *

Meanwhile, Victoria was nearly sobbing as Molly brought Finn to the car. "Oh, my god!" She said, opening the door and nearly falling out as she hugged him. "I'm glad you're all right! I was so worried! How badly are you hurt?"

"I have some bruises," Finn told his mother. "Please don't squeeze me so hard."

"Right," Victoria nodded. "Sorry."

"How badly did my mother hurt you?" Kai demanded to know. "I need to know how much so I can fight back in equal measure."

"Actually she didn't," Finn said, which filled his father with surprise. "She was the one fighting for me to not be hurt anymore." He paused. "You don't hate me because she treats me better than she ever treated you, do you?"

"No!" Kai shook his head as Finn climbed into the backseat next to him and he gave him a hug. "I wouldn't blame you for my mother's bad behavior. That's not nice."

"Well, good," Finn replied. "Can we go home now? I wanna go sleep in my own bed."

"I bet you do," Kai nodded. "Vicky, let's go."

"Just a minute!" Victoria told him. "What about Molly?"

"I'm gonna stay for a bit, cause that was part of the deal," Molly said. "I bond with them and they let you take Finn back." She began to back away from the car. "I should probably get back inside soon before they think I've decided to run off and not come back."

"All right," Victoria replied. "Take care of yourself! And be sure to call us if you need anything."

"I will!" Molly shouted. "Don't worry."

They watched her go into the house and then as they drove home, Victoria sighed. "Are you sure we did the right thing sending her back in there?"

"Yes!" Kai said immediately. "Molly's like a magical version of that kid in Home Alone. A couple of days with her and Edele and Mr. Phoenix will be begging us to take her back, and they're the ones who'll be harmed!"

"I hope you're right," Victoria said, smiling as she watched Finn lean against Kai and fall asleep.

* * *

It was right after Finn was put to bed that Helene and Malachai showed up. "How's Finn?" Helene asked. "Is he all right?"

"Yeah, he's fine," Kai told her. "We just got him home and put him to bed. He's bruised, but otherwise fine. And he claims that Mother had nothing to do with his injuries. That she, in fact, tried to make things easier for him. I have no idea why he would lie, but part of me finds it really hard to believe him."

"I can understand why," Malachai said. "When he gets up, I want to have a talk with him so he can tell me just what we're up against."

"We don't have to bother him," Helene replied. "We can just ask my parents. They were at the dinner too, and I think they have a good enough idea."

"I don't know if I want your mother or the Council involved in this," Malachai told her. "I've put a lot of work into a specific way of handling it, and if the Council gets involved, they'll probably just throw me in jail and do things their own way."

"You don't know that!" Helene replied. "My mother is much more open-minded about stuff like that then you think!"

"Yes, but she's trying to get the Council to like her again and one of the best ways to do that would be to throw people like me under the bus, even if it's not what she would normally do," Malachai pointed out. "We'll tell your parents, but only if we run into trouble. Otherwise, leave it to me, please?"

"Oh, all right," Helene sighed. "I won't tell my parents unless you say so."

"Good!" Malachai kissed her. "Thank you!" He then looked at Kai. "So we know Finn is safe, but what about Molly?"

"The reason why Finn is safe is because Molly took one for the team and took his place to bond with her…'parents'." He looked up at his uncle. "Can you believe that the twins aren't even mine? Do you think that Mom made that up? She lies a lot."

"I hate to tell you this, but in this case, I think it's true," Malachai told him. "By and large, your mother doesn't like children, so if she's trying really hard to get them close to her, there must be a reason, and that reason must be because they're hers. I'm sorry, son."

It was then that Kai looked hopefully at Helene. "You don't suppose that your mother would be willing to help me get turned back into my magical self so I can have kids of my own, do you? And she wouldn't even be doing anything illegal because let's face it, the way I lost my powers wasn't really my fault."

"I don't know," Helene said, "But I'll ask for you, I promise."

"Thank you," Kai smiled at her. "Thank you very much."

* * *

"You're okay!" Sarah crowed and hugged Finn before taking his hand and leading him into the house where Junior scowled on the sofa. "See, Sean? Finn is okay!"

"Goody," Junior said flatly. "My joy knows no bounds."

"He's happy for you, really!" Sarah told Finn. "He just doesn't feel real comfortable with his emotions."

"I know that's a big fat lie, Sarah, but thanks for trying to make me feel better." Finn smiled. "Where's Sunny? I wanna hug her."

"I don't know," Sarah replied. "I'm sure she's around here somewhere, though. And I bet she'd be really glad to see you."

While Finn went off looking for the dog, Sarah noticed that Junior was smirking. "Whatever you have in your head for us to do when Finn is gone, it won't happen."

"No, no, I wasn't thinking of that," Junior said. "I actually thought of a way to protect Finn from future kidnappings."

"You have?" Sarah looked at him skeptically. "How…unusual of you. What's your plan?"

"Well, I was thinking that one of the reasons why he got kidnapped was because the Phoenix knows what he looks like, right?" Junior asked.

"Yeah," Sarah nodded. "Go on."

"Well, I was thinking that if we put Finn's essence into a new body, then the Phoenix will get confused and not kidnap him," Junior said. "Isn't that a good plan?"

"Yes, but…what sort of a person would agree to such a plan when they know that by being put in Finn's body, they might become the Phoenix's target?" Sarah asked.

"The sort of person who thinks the benefits of the plan outweigh the risks," Junior said and took Sarah's hand. "I already have a person or two in mind, I promise."

* * *

Adrian decided to have some alone time in the shower before bed a few days later so he could think about Molly. She hadn't even been gone very long, but with what she was doing, who knew if she was coming back or not? He turned the water on, put a towel nearby, undressed, and got under the warm waterfall. As he washed his hair, the lights suddenly went out. He opened his eyes, groaning as they burned with shampoo in them. "What the hell?" He called. "Who's there?"

He opened the shower door and saw a figure coming toward him, undress, and then step in the shower with him. He was about to let out a yell when she put a hand over his mouth. "Don't worry," she whispered. "It's me, Molly. Surprise! How long has it been since you've done it in the dark?"

Adrian pushed Molly's hand aside and whispered, "You know, I have no idea when I last did it in the dark was. But hopefully you have enough stamina to do it with the lights on too."

"Do you really think you can do that?" Molly asked. "It won't make you nervous?"

"No," Adrian replied and pulled Molly against himself, giving her a kiss. Molly was the one who was surprised this time. But it didn't take very long for her to adjust and soon, she was running her hands down his dripping wet and naked body while nibbling on his neck.

Then she pulled away and said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt your shower."

"I know that's a lie," Adrian said as Molly slowly made light appear in the room. "You were glad as hell to interrupt my shower. But I'm not mad, because I was just going to spend it thinking of you, anyway."

"You were?" Molly smiled. "It's _that_ kind of shower?"

"Yes," Adrian nodded and turned the shower water off. "It's that kind of shower. But now that you're here, I don't really need it, do I?" He then stepped out of the shower and led Molly to his bed.

She was surprised when he pulled the sheets aside and said, "Would you like to get in first?"

"Sure," she said and climbed in, with him following soon after. He took her hands and just looked over her body with a look of awe. "You're so beautiful," he told her as he moved her hair out of her eyes.

"Thank you," Molly said. "You're very handsome too." He was still looking at her body then, so she decided to take the initiative and kiss him. "Touching is more fun than just looking," she pointed out.

"You're right," Adrian smiled. He eased her against the mattress and kissed her again as he ran his hands over her body. They were large and warm and she let out a gasp as one slid between her thighs and gave her a slow, but insistent rub. The wicked grin that he had on his face made Molly just feel warm all over her body and she pulled him down to kiss her again as her legs parted and slipped inside her, filling her as completely as he could.

"Oh!" She gasped, her eyes wide. "Oh, my god! Adrian, oh my god!" She began moaning as he pushed in and pulled out of her arms around his neck to anchor herself and then wrapped her legs around him. Then she took one of his hands on hers and kissed each one of his fingers. "You have such nice hands," she said, stroking them. "They feel so good when they touch me."

"Good," Adrian said with a smile. "I'm glad you like it." He then went inside her again and soon, both of them were exhausted as he rolled off her.

"Your dad's not gonna be too mad when he finds out that we did this, is he?" Adrian asked. "Not that I'm afraid or anything. I'm just curious."

"If he is, he's got no right to be," Molly replied. "And if this makes you feel any better, technically, he's my brother and not my dad. I just got back from visiting my birth parents."

"I remember," Adrian replied. "This was a way to show you how glad I was that you got back in one piece."

Molly chuckled and hugged him again. "Well, it was the best welcome home surprise ever."


	14. Losing A Loved One

"Tell me why it is that you giggle every time you've seen me since you got back from seeing Edele and the Phoenix?" Adrian asked Molly as she snorted milk out her nose while eating her cereal.

"Oh, no reason," Molly said. And then giggled again. "I'll tell you later. I don't think you're ready to hear it now."

"All right, whatever," Adrian replied, gulping down his breakfast blood. "I'm gonna go shower now, all right?"

This caused Molly to giggle again. After she'd gotten back from Edele and the Phoenix's, she'd gone to bed and had a dream about joining Adrian in the shower, and what had happened after that, well…well, it had been hot. Now she just had to work on getting it to happen in real life. "I had a dream about you and I being in the shower together!" She blurted out. "It was hot! You don't think you would be interested in giving it a go would you?"

"You had that dream too?" Adrian asked, his jaw dropping as he blushed. He thought _he_ had only dreamed that. How did _she_ know about it?

"Yes, I did," Molly nodded and rose to her feet, her breakfast forgotten on the table as she walked toward him and he backed away from her. "I thought you were gonna go take a shower," she said and put her arms around him as he was backed up against the wall. "Are you?"

"Yes," Adrian nodded. "And you'll stay here and eat!"

But breakfast seemed to have lost its appeal as Molly followed Adrian to the bathroom and undressed. "Want me to turn on the water?" She asked. "Or help you off with your pajamas?" She went to kiss him and he pushed her away.

"No!" He snapped, making it so her eyes were on him and she couldn't look away. "Now, don't get me wrong. I like you very much, but you and I _can't_ be together. You need to get that fantasy out of your head and go find a boy your own age." He then undressed and she just stared. "I'm going in the shower now," he said firmly as big, fat tears began falling down her cheeks. "Get your clothes on, go back to the kitchen, and eat. Your food is probably ice cold by now."

Just then, they heard a voice call out, "Adrian, why are there two breakfast plates on the table? How did you know I was coming home from my road trip today?"

"Oh, shit!" Adrian swore. "It's Jennifer!"

"What do you want me to do?" Molly asked with a sniffle.

"Just…I don't know," Adrian replied. "Stay here, go…it doesn't matter." He then sighed deeply as Jennifer's voice said, "What's going on here?"

Molly stomped her foot, dressed, and then said, "Excuse me," before storming out of the bathroom.

"What was that all about?" Jennifer asked in a gentle tone. "Did you tell her to leave to spare my feelings?"

"Well, yes," Adrian nodded. "You and I are dating. She can't be here."

"Adrian, don't do that to her," Jennifer said, reaching out to touch his cheek. "You and I both know that she's the one you like, not me. If you want to be with her, then you should be. You deserve more than a woman who's hardly ever home. I can tell that what we have isn't enough for you and you shouldn't feel bad about that. Go after Molly now, okay? I'll be fine. I promise."

And then they heard the loud shriek.

"All right, I'll go," Adrian said, breaking into a run and wishing passionately that he was like his parents and could turn into a werewolf at will. "Cause _you_ may be fine now, but if I don't go after Molly, _she_ won't be."

"Good luck!" Jennifer called after him. "I hope Molly is okay!"

But Adrian didn't hear this last part. He was already running after a man in a dark coat who had Molly over his shoulder. He thought she would try and get his attention, but she didn't seem to be moving. He had nearly reached her when her captor turned to glare at him and raised his hand, making him be hit with a strong wall of magic that sent him flying into a tree. It was the Phoenix, who nodded with satisfaction when he saw Adrian's unconscious body before putting Molly in the backseat of his car and driving away with her.

* * *

"Can we talk?" Junior asked Finn when they were forced to spend time together at the behest of their mothers. No one yet know what had happened to Molly because Adrian, as stubborn as he was, decided that he was gonna try and handle it on his own without worrying her parents.

"Okay," Finn nodded. "But why? You hate me."

"Well, I can't say I'm your biggest fan, but…I want to help you," Junior said, putting his arm around his rival and giving him a smile. "Are you at all worried about future encounters with the Phoenix?"

"I can't say it's pleasant to be kidnapped and 'tested' to see how powerful you are," Finn replied. "I hope they don't try it again."

"I have a way to make sure they don't," Junior assured him. "What if I put you in a totally different body that looks nothing like you?"

"Do you know how to do that?" Finn asked. "I know you're trying to be nice, but I don't want you to do anything to me that you might mess up on."

"Trust me," Junior smiled. "I wouldn't do anything to you that I wouldn't also do to myself."

"Well I don't know if I should trust you with a smile like that on your face," Finn said. "But I also don't want to be kidnapped again. Did your dad suggest this? He works at the Council, doesn't he?"

"Yeah!" Junior nodded. "That's exactly it! He and Astrid decided that would be the best thing to keep you safe from your birth parents and they wanted me to do the spell because it would be easier than hauling you into Astrid's office for the whole day. Do you understand?"

"Yeah," Finn nodded. "I understand. If that's what the Council thinks is best, then we really have no choice, do we?"

"No," Junior shook his head as he prepared to switch Finn's body with his. "We really don't. This is the best thing for everybody."

"All right," Finn nodded and took a deep breath. "Let's do it."

* * *

"Well, look at you!" Sarah smiled when she saw Finn at her front door. He gave her a hug and a deep kiss and said, "I'm so glad to see you. The day that I had to spend with Junior was _so_ boring!"

"But I'm sure you got through it," Sarah replied and then pushed him away from her so there was some space between them. "The kiss is a surprise, though."

"I know, I'm sorry," Finn replied. "We've been moving kind of slow, so I thought that I would try and pick up the pace a bit."

"Shouldn't we talk about that first?" Sarah asked. "Finn, are you okay? You seem a little weird, and a bit different than normal."

"I'm _not_ weird!" Finn defended himself. "I'm the same dull Finn who's your friend!"

Sarah shook her head then. "I don't believe you," she said and gave him a slap. "I don't know who you are, but you're _not_ Finn. And how _dare_ you do that to him? He's been through enough already!" She then shook her head at the person who stood before her, whoever he was, ran to her room and locked the door behind her.

Swearing under his breath, his cover blown, Junior ran to Sarah's closed door. "Can we talk about this?" He asked her. "Sarah, let me in, please!"

"No!" Sarah shouted back. "Why did you switch bodies with Finn? Where the hell is he?"

"I know you won't believe me, but I did it because it will be easier for him to be protected from Edele and the Phoenix if he doesn't look like himself," Junior told her patiently. "Now they'll be coming after _me_ and not him!"

"And you did it so you could kiss me and possibly try and get in my pants!" Sarah shouted as Sunny barked angrily beside her. "Don't deny it."

"Well, that's just a nice bonus," Junior replied. "But I really did it to help Finn, I _swear._ "

"Save it!" Sarah told him. "If you _really_ cared, you'd be out looking for Finn, wherever he is, and not standing here trying to get me to like you. Just go. Please."

"All right," Junior replied. "I'll go look for Finn. Goodbye, Sarah."

"Goodbye!" Sarah called back with finality in her voice. And when she knew he was gone, she threw herself down on her bed and beat on her pillow in the hopes that it would make all the anger she was feeling go away.


	15. A Daring Rescue

"What's going on here?" Edele cried when John strode into the house, Molly over his shoulder. She was just waking up when her birth mother reached her. "Oh, my god," she said and looked around. "What happened? Where the hell am I?"

"You're at our house, dear," Edele said. "I would tell you that you're safe, but now I'm not so sure."

John set her down on the sofa in the living room and then said to Edele, "I had to bring her back. I wasn't sure if she'd return otherwise."

"I said I would!" Molly told him, wincing because of the pain in her head. "I'd be an idiot to go back on my word, wouldn't I?"

"Who was that young man running after us?" John demanded to know. "The blond one?"

"That's Adrian," Molly replied. "I'm surprised he tried to rescue me. I didn't think he liked me that much."

"So he's just an ordinary vampire?" John asked. "Or is he an Original?"

"He's not an Original," Molly said firmly. "And he won't rest until he brings me back." She huffed. "And to think I was pondering actually bonding with you before you pulled a stunt like this. You should be ashamed of yourself."

"Are you really trying to shame me?" John asked.

"Yes, I am," Molly nodded. "Were you expecting to scare me into obedience instead? Cause that's not gonna happen. You _can't_ expect that from someone you laud for their backbone. Now just tell me what I need to do to keep your trust and then let me go home."

"Oh, but you _are_ home," John told her. "You're not going anywhere!"

"This isn't home," Molly shook her head. "Home is a place with someone who loves me, not people who want to use me purely for their own gain. Now, don't get me wrong. I know you're powerful as hell and I'm interested to see what of that got passed over to me, but I'm not staying here forever. Can't we do some sort of compromise?"

"I don't compromise," John told her. "That's the first thing you must know about me."

"Well, that must be a thing I got from you because I'm not budging either!" Molly shot back. She knew it was crazy to argue with one of the most powerful beings ever, but her relationship with Adrian was too important to just let go. "So you have to compromise, or we'll never get anywhere." She crossed her arms. "This is all up to you. What are you gonna do?"

John turned to Edele, looking aghast. "Are you hearing this?" He asked her. "Can you believe it?"

"Yes, I can," Edele nodded. "She's your daughter, all right. I would agree with her if I were you. Otherwise, you'll be here forever."

"No," John told her. "I'm going to get myself a drink, and _you're_ going to deal with her. That's what's going to happen."

He strode off and Edele looked at Molly with amusement. "You know, I've never seen him so frustrated before. I'm proud of you."

"Well, I think I have every right to be mad," Molly replied. "I told you two that I would make time for you, and I will. It just won't be twenty-four hours a day, especially in this beginning period when we're just starting to bond. Why is it so hard for him to understand? Because he's spent so much of his existence being told that the world revolves around him and that everyone will happily do whatever he says?"

"That, and I think being outwitted by a woman angers him," Edele replied. "He grew up with three sisters and they used him as a practice tool for their magic a lot. He didn't have much of a voice in his home when he was growing up."

Molly smiled. "You know, that sounds a lot like my boyfriend," she said. "He was a bit overpowered by his first wife too."

"Is this boyfriend of yours seeing another woman at the present time?" Edele wanted to know. "Because it's never good to go after men like that, no matter how attractive you find them. They'll just break your heart in the end."

"Well, he _was_ dating someone until quite recently," Molly told her. "But they've broken up, and like I told John, he'll come to rescue me."

"Do you really need rescuing now?" Edele asked. "You could just get up and leave if you wanted."

"True," Molly smiled and settled back in her chair. "But why deprive Adrian of the chance to be a hero when he wants it so badly?"

* * *

"Just when Finny gets back, Molly disappears," Kai huffed. "Mother just can't let it go, can she?"

"I don't think your mother had anything to do with it," Adrian tried to calm his friend down. "I think it was all the Phoenix. I know you'll probably kill me for suggesting this, but maybe you should stop thinking of your mother as the enemy and see her as an ally."

"I don't know about that," Kai said. He then looked at Finn, who came into the room. "What do you think?" He asked his son. "You think I should start bonding with your grandmother to try and save your sister?"

"Um, uh…sure, I guess," Finn nodded with a shrug. "Although, don't you think Molly can save herself?"

"Not exactly," Kai replied. "Finny, are you okay? You've seemed a bit distant lately."

"No, I'm not distant," Finn shook his head. "Don't wait dinner. I'm gonna go visit Sarah now."

"All right," Kai sighed. "I know I can't stop you, but be careful, we don't want you to get kidnapped by the Phoenix again."

"Don't worry," Finn told him. "I don't think that'll happen."

* * *

"You're back," Sarah huffed when Christine brought Finn into the house. "How was it that you wormed your way in here this time?"

"What's going on?" Christine asked.

"This is Junior in Finn's body!" Sarah replied. "Next time he comes, don't bring him in, all right?"

Christine looked between the pair uncomfortably and said, "You know what? I'm gonna go walk the dogs and let you two work this out for yourselves."

"No, Mom!" Sarah cried. "Stay here! Don't leave me with him!"

But Christine was gone, so she just looked at him and sighed. "You know what? Fine. I'll play along with this. But I won't like it."

"Okay," Junior told her, dropping the pretense he'd kept up with everyone else. Since she knew the truth, there was no point in pretending. "Of course you will. Cause you might say you won't like it, but really, you're just kidding yourself." He pulled her into his arms and held her close. "Right?"

Sarah squirmed in his arms, her face full of disgust, even as she felt herself thinking that she liked the feel of his body against hers. But she had to stay strong for Finn. She couldn't just abandon him now when he was in such trouble."I oughta slap you!" She got out.

"Yes, but wouldn't you rather kiss me instead?" Junior asked. "Come on. Please, just try it once and if you don't like it, then we'll move on and you can have a boring relationship with Finn."

"All right," Sarah nodded. "But I don't see what good this will do." She let him kiss her, and initially when their lips met, her whole body tensed. Then, as his hands went down her back and over her bottom, she felt herself relax and kiss him back. The kiss went on for quite a while, and then, when they pulled apart to take a breath, they just stared at one another in shock.

"See?" Junior chuckled. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

"Well, I don't have anything to compare it to, but I suppose it could have been worse," she told him. Then she asked, "I wonder if it would feel the same on other parts of my body. What do you think?"

"Let's see," Junior replied with a smirk. But since it was Finn's dark eyes that looked back at her, she felt tingles all the same. He took her in his arms again, and instead of kissing her lips, he kissed her neck and lower jaw. It felt so good that she sort of collapsed in his grip, her head leaning on his shoulder, so that he had to lift her up to support her.

"Oh, yes," she said in his ear. "This…this is much better. I like it very much."

"Good," Junior whispered. "I thought you would."

When he let her go again, she straightened her dress and cleared her throat. "Let me just make it clear that my liking your kissing doesn't mean I've forgotten about Finn. I still want to find him, do you understand that? She poked a finger into Junior's chest for emphasis.

"Yes, yes, I understand," Junior sighed irritably. "We have to get little Finny back safe to his mother and father before he gets lost and no one ever sees him again."

"Damn right we do," Sarah nodded.

"And then," Junior smiled, "You and I can do whatever we want. Even kiss again."

"Maybe," Sarah nodded. "And just so you know, you have some lipstick on your mouth. That shade of red looks lovely on you, but I didn't think you'd want it to be there forever."

"Oh," Junior said when he got a good look at his tousled hair and lipstick-covered face in the mirror. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Sarah told him. "And don't you think you should be getting home? You don't want Kai and Victoria worrying about you too."

"Right," Junior sighed. "I'll be on my way in a minute."

* * *

"So that's the house, huh?" Adrian asked Klaus, who'd come with him on his rescue mission because he didn't know where the house was and his father did. "All I have to do is storm the place, rescue Molly, and then all will be right with the world."

"Be careful, though," Klaus warned. "The Phoenix might hurt you if he suspects who you are or what you're part of."

"Oh, I'm sure that if Molly was questioned about that, she wouldn't rat me out," Adrian replied. "She'd keep them blissfully ignorant."

"But he's already knocked you out once," Klaus reminded his son. "Remember that."

"I will," Adrian nodded. "I think I'll go inside. We've been staring at the door long enough."

"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?" Klaus asked. "Not even for backup?"

"No, thanks," Adrian told him. "I know you mean well, but no heroic rescue was ever accomplished by both the hero and the hero's father."

"Ah," Klaus nodded with a smile. "I understand now. I'll go wait a distance away."

When his father was gone, Adrian ran his game plan through his head. It would be stupid to just walk up to the front door and ask to be let in, so he would have to get in through Molly's bedroom window once he figured out which one that one was. He stepped back to get a better look at all the windows and what rooms they were attached to. Fortunately, one of the ones on the upper floor at the front of the house was open and Molly was clearly visible on her bed reading a book.

Taking a deep breath, he ran toward the house and leaped onto the window ledge. "Hi, Miss Molly," he said. "Miss me?"

"Yes, I did!" Molly said and put her book down. "What are you doing here? Don't you know it could be dangerous for you?"

"That's why I didn't knock on the front door and ask to be let in," Adrian explained as he climbed through the window and went to sit next to her on her bed. "Have you been here long enough? Would you like to go home?"

"Yes," she said and laid her head on his shoulder. "It was an _awfully_ torturous experience being kidnapped and held here. Thank you for coming to rescue me."

"You're welcome," Adrian smiled.

She zapped them out of the room and then once they were out of the house and on the pavement, Adrian took Molly's hand and led her out to the car.

"Well, that didn't take very long," Klaus told Adrian. "Did it?"

"That's cause he was smart and took the less troublesome route," Molly explained. "Isn't he really smart?"

"Yes," Klaus nodded. "He certainly is."

* * *

When they reached Adrian's house, got inside, and the door was closed behind them, Adrian picked her up and carried her to his room. "Just so you know," he said when he put her on her feet. "I'm never letting you out of my sight again."

"Okay," Molly smiled. "I'm good at that. You know, I haven't showered today. Would you mind if I did that?" She began to strip down.

"No, I wouldn't mind at all," Adrian smiled, his clothes soon joining hers in the pile as he took her hand and led her into the bathroom. "Especially if I get to join you." He got in the shower first, and then Molly turned off the light and got in with him, running her hands over his body as the water from the showerhead soaked both of them. Then, he held her tight, his lips crashing against hers as her hands mussed his wet hair and cradled his head.

"I want you," she whispered, slowly bringing the lights on again. "Can I have you?"

"Yes," Adrian nodded. "I'm never gonna hesitate with you again." He put soap on a loofah and washed her off before leading her out of the shower and into his bed.

"I can't believe I'm finally here," she whispered as he nibbled at her neck and then slowly licked the blood up with his tongue before parting her legs and stroking her gently. "Oh," she breathed and shut her eyes. "That's good. Keep rubbing."

Then she threw her arms around his neck and wrapped her legs around his waist, urging him in a not so subtle way to come inside her. "You said you wouldn't hesitate with me anymore," she reminded him. "Come inside me, please."

"All right," he said and buried himself deep inside her before pulling out and repeating the process a couple more times.

"Good," she breathed, even when Adrian was sure he was overdoing it. "Keep going, please."

"You are a really tough lady," Adrian observed.

"Yeah, I guess I am," Molly said and gave him a hot look. "Is that a problem?"

"No," Adrian shook his head and smiled as he kissed her again and held her close. "Not anymore."


	16. Finding New Parts Of Myself

The next morning, it was Adrian who woke up first. He'd fallen asleep with Molly in his arms, and he smiled down at her still form, kissing her hair gently as she breathed evenly in his embrace.

"Good morning," he whispered.

"Good morning," Molly told him and then opened her eyes. "Well, look at that. It really _did_ happen. And here I am."

"Yeah," Adrian chuckled. "Here you are. Are you awake enough for breakfast, or do you want to sleep a little longer?"

"No," Molly shook her head and sat up. "I could eat now."

"What do you want?" Adrian asked, moving to get out of bed before Molly reached out and put a restraining hand on his arm.

"We can have anything we want," she told him, pulling him back into bed. "All I have to do is give a zap." And that was what she did. "I think breakfast in bed the morning after is awfully romantic," she said as Adrian's eyes widened at the sight of all the food. "What?" She asked. "Is it too much? Do you not think you'll be able to eat it all?"

"Oh, I'm not worried about that," Adrian assured her as he waved her concern away. "Whatever we don't eat, the little garbage disposal will."

"What?" Molly asked, momentarily confused. "You just want to throw it all away? Isn't that wasteful? We can at least save some for Dad. That might make him more amenable when we tell him what we did last night."

"I actually was talking about Rusty, but saving some leftovers for your dad might not be such a bad idea," Adrian told her and then made a grab for some bacon.

Just then, there was a scratching noise at the bedroom door, followed by loud, insistent barking.

"Well, speak of the devil," Adrian said. "Look who just arrived in time for breakfast?"

"What should I do?" Molly asked. "You want me to let him in?"

"Sure," Adrian nodded. "Why not?"

So Molly zapped on a robe and went to open the door and let Rusty in. He was Adrian's little Westie, and he'd had him for as long as Molly could remember, and according to Adrian himself, much longer than that. Rusty toddled toward the bed and then looked up at it before turning to gaze at her as if to say 'Am I supposed to get up there by myself?' So Molly picked him up and put him on the bed and then climbed in herself.

"Can he actually eat anything on the tray?" Molly asked. "I thought there were certain things dogs can't eat."

"Rusty can eat anything," Adrian informed her. "When Aunt Anna made him, he was made to live forever, so it's not like he can die."

"Your aunt _made_ Rusty?" Molly asked, looking amazed. "Dare I ask how?"

"As a human, he was an annoying guy who was in love with her and just wouldn't leave her alone. So, to get rid of him (or at least make him more tolerable) she turned him into a dog and made it so he would live forever," Adrian replied. "And that inspired her to do it with other annoying people in her life too, and soon, she was able to make a business out of selling dogs who had eternal life. But now she doesn't use people. They're always dogs to start out with."

"Well, that's kind of brilliant," Molly said and reached out to scratch Rusty's ears. He then grabbed a doughnut in his teeth and began scampering away, although since he was on the bed, he didn't get very far.

"Hey!" Adrian cried and grabbed one end of it. "Give that to me! I was gonna eat it!"

Rusty dropped it onto the mattress and then growled and snapped at his master before picking the custard filled doughnut up again and tearing it apart with his teeth.

"That didn't go well," Adrian sighed. "It never does, but I always think there'll be that one time I can get food away from him, even though he's as possessive of his food as your dad is."

"Well, that's not a problem," Molly said and zapped up another doughnut. "Here you go. Now you get one too."

"Wonderful," Adrian smiled and took a bite. "You know, I never had an appreciation for magic before I met you."

"I'm sure you didn't," Molly smiled and kissed him on the cheek before taking a bite of a cinnamon roll. "Glad I could turn your thoughts around."

Adrian watched her eat her cinnamon roll and asked, "What do you see in me? I'm a bit of a weird loner, aren't I?"

"Well, it's true that it doesn't seem easy for you to bond with just anyone, but come on, give yourself some credit," Molly told him after swallowing. "Kids and dogs are supposed to be very good judges of character, and you got my loyalty, plus that of a dog that you've had for years, and years, so you can't be as bad as you think. You really _do_ judge yourself too harshly."

"That's because it saves time," Adrian said with a smirk. "People have issues with me. Like your dad will when we tell him what we did last night. You know we have to."

"Yeah, but it won't be as bad as you think," Molly told him. "I promise."

* * *

"Don't be nervous now," Molly urged Adrian as they drove back to Kai and Victoria's after Adrian had delayed leaving as long as they possibly could. "We should be honest about what we did, but it's nothing to be ashamed of. Oh, and if it makes you feel any better, remember that Kai is actually my brother biologically and not my dad. It's easier to stand up to a protective older brother, right?" She didn't mention that her birth dad probably hated his guts too and wouldn't cease trying to kill him for stealing her away until he'd actually accomplished it. That would come out at a time when they didn't have other things to deal with too.

"I'll try," Adrian replied. "Even though he's one of the few friends I've ever had and he might hate me after he knows all."

"He won't," Molly assured him. "I promise. Or if he does, it won't be forever."

So they parked in the driveway of Kai and Victoria's house and knocked on the door. After Kai opened it, he grabbed Molly and hugged her hard. "You found her!" He said, smiling at Adrian over her shoulder. "Thank you! And thank you for bringing her back safe."

"You're welcome," Adrian told him. "Remember how grateful you are when we tell you what we're about to tell you." He looked at Molly. "Or do you think it can wait?"

"I don't see the point of waiting to get it out," Molly said, and then made sure Kai was sitting down with breakfast leftovers in his lap before she continued to talk. "We have something we need to tell you," Molly said. "Adrian and I…we had sex last night. Don't be mad. Remember what we said about how I could do worse."

"Oh, god!" Kai said, his face twisting as he swallowed. "Did you have to tell me now, while I'm eating? Now it might all come back up again!"

"Well, that's a lovely image I could have done without," Adrian said.

"You don't talk yet," Kai told him and then turned to Molly. "Was it a mutual decision between the two of you?" He asked. "It better have been."

"Of course it was!" Molly nodded. "I wouldn't have tolerated anything else."

"And neither would I," Adrian added.

"Well, good," Kai said. "And though I wish you would have waited a bit, it's not like I can really talk without sounding hypocritical. Plus, you've probably incurred the Phoenix's wrath or something so you're in enough trouble without my having to add to it. I'll just leave it alone."

"You will?" Adrian asked in surprise. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Kai told him. "Just don't mention this encounter or any future ones to me ever again unless it comes after you guys are married or committed or whatever."

"All right," Molly smiled and gave him a hug after putting his food aside for a moment. "We'll keep you in the dark from now on. I promise."

After she released her father from the hug, Victoria came in, her face bright as she saw Molly sitting on the sofa. "Well, hello!" She said. "Glad to see you back."

"It's good to _be_ back," Molly said. "I'm still working on some sort of bonding arrangement with Edele and John, but it will sort itself out eventually."

"That's good," Victoria said. "Now that you're back, we just have to get your brother to stay home for more than two minutes. Every time I try and talk to him, he just tells me he has to run off to Sarah's and I don't see him for hours. It's very odd. It doesn't seem like him at all anymore."

"Well, I don't know what to tell you," Molly told her. "All we can do is hope he'll get back to normal eventually."

"Yep," Victoria nodded and stole a mini blueberry muffin from Kai's bunch of food, popping it in her mouth. "I guess that's all we can do."

* * *

"Should I be nervous about this?" Sarah asked Junior as they drove to his house. She had a blindfold over her eyes and Junior held one of her hands. "You didn't tell me what we were doing when I agreed to put the blindfold on."

"Oh, it's nothing too exciting," Junior replied. "I just wanted to thank you for all that special time we had the other day. And I wanted to return the favor too."

"Ah," Sarah nodded. "How interesting." When they reached his house, he helped her out of the car and led her inside.

"Sean?" Liam called. "Is that you?"

"Yes," Junior replied. "And I brought Sarah with me."

"Okay," Liam replied. "If you're gonna be in your room, remember to leave the door open!"

"All right," Junior rolled his eyes.

"Do your parents know about the body switch?" Sarah asked him as he helped her up the stairs.

"No," Junior told her. "But I'll tell 'em eventually."

He led her to his room and then kissed her again, deeply, as he held her body tightly against his, then moved one hand so he could pull the blindfold off. That caused Sarah to open her eyes, and she started to yell when she saw that she was indeed kissing Junior and not Finn.

He put a hand over her mouth and made a sharp shushing noise. "Be quiet!" He barked. "I just…I only did it to show you that you won't always be able to play me like a violin." He took Finn's appearance again. "Do you get it?"

"Y-yes," Sarah nodded, her brown eyes wide. "I'm sorry I made you feel that way. I didn't mean to. I guess that being a smoldering temptress really isn't my strong suit cause that's what I was going for before."

"Perhaps not," Junior replied with a smile, taking her face in his hands. "But you have other good qualities. Don't underestimate yourself." He then kissed her slowly, one of his hands moving to pull her brown hair out of its ponytail so he could play with it. "You have such pretty hair," he commented. "So soft."

"Thanks," Sarah told him. "I'm glad you like it."

After playing with her hair for a little bit, he put his arms around her waist and pulled her to him backward, and then commenced kissing her neck. "Does that feel good?" He asked. "Or should I move my lips elsewhere?"

"N-no," Sarah got out. "No, this is good. Keep going." She then pointed her finger at the door and it closed gently.

Junior chuckled when he heard. "I wanted to do it myself, but it's good you did. It must mean that you're not scared of me. Of what I could do to you."

"I'm not worried at all," Sarah informed him. "If you try anything I don't like, I can easily zap up a gun and shoot you with it. Daddy is very insistent that I become acquainted with how to use various types of firearms."

"All right," Junior nodded. "I'll remember that."

"Yeah," Sarah replied, turning her head slightly so that she and Junior's lips touched. "You better." They kissed a little longer and then Sarah said, "Have you had any luck finding where Finn ran off to? Have you even been looking?"

"I've been looking," Junior nodded. "I just haven't found anything yet. But wherever he is, I'm sure he's fine."

"Yeah," Sarah nodded and put her head on Junior's shoulder. "I hope so."

* * *

If their definition of Finn being 'fine' was that he was alive, then yes, he was fine. But beyond that, things weren't looking all that good for him. After finding out that he now looked like Junior, and unsure of what Junior was doing with his body, Finn had elected not to go home, and was instead camping out in the park, sleeping in a red tent and slaking his bloodlust by catching small animals, even though, if he was being totally honest, that wasn't anywhere _near_ enough to satisfy him. It was what he had to do if he didn't want to get noticed by humans.

One night, he'd decided that he'd had enough and, after night fell, decided to leave the park and look around to see if there were houses nearby that he could take food from. The ones in the area were very large and doubtlessly had such big supplies they wouldn't miss a little bit. And yes, he was aware he could have zapped some up, but he wanted a little adventure.

He found a house about a mile from the park and used his magic to open the window. He was curious as to why there was no alarm sound, but after a few seconds of thinking this over, he took it as a blessing and boosted himself into the dark house. Then, he quickly discovered why they didn't have an alarm system: they had dogs instead. Not long after his feet touched the floor, two large shapes tackled him and began snapping at his face, making him gag as he smelled their hot, sour breath. He managed to zip away and make his way to the kitchen with the dogs in pursuit, grabbing what he could out of the large fridge before the dogs knocked him down again, sending fruit, yogurt, a bag of baby carrots, and some juice boxes flying out of his arms. It was just as he was crawling away from the dogs and gathering up his loot again that the lights to the kitchen came on and he heard a whistle, and a girl's voice calling the dogs off him. Then he rolled over onto his back and found two girls looking down at him.

"Daddy was right to leave the dogs guarding us," said one with dark brown eyes and flecks of blonde in her long brown hair. Her nose was spattered with freckles and her expression as she peered down at him was one of disgust. "I'll have to apologize to him when I tell him about the thieves."

A smaller blonde beside her, who Finn assumed was her sister, said in a nervous voice, "Daisy, what should we do? Should we get Jenkins to throw him out before he wakes up the whole house?"

"Not yet, Clarissa," Daisy told her. "I want to talk to him first. From the look of his clothes, he's obviously poor, so I think we can figure out why he came in here." She snapped her fingers and said, "Hey! What made you think you had the right to come and steal from us?"

"Well," Finn smiled, "I honestly just wanted to see if I could."

"Obviously you failed," Daisy replied, still looking at him with distaste as she zapped him into a chair and put a spell on it to restrain him. "You're as bad a thief as you are a dresser."

"Hey, these aren't even my clothes!" Finn protested. "Or my body. In reality, I'm much handsomer."

"Ah," Daisy nodded. "You've inhabited another body and are trying to pin your crimes on someone else. Maybe you're not as dumb as I thought, even if you're not smart." She paused. "Well, now that you've been caught, I'm going to have our security team escort you onto the pavement."

"Are you sure you wanna do that?" Finn asked.

"Are you threatening us?" Daisy asked. "How can you be that stupid? You're poor! What could you possibly do to me?"

"Oh, I wouldn't do anything to _you_ ," Finn told her. "But your sister…" He waved his hand and Clarissa rose from the floor with a shriek. "I can do all sorts of things to _her_."

"Not if I get to you first," Daisy replied, grabbing a frying pan out of the cupboard and whacking him hard with it.

"Good job!" Clarissa chided her sister. "You whacked him over the head. He's unconscious. How am I supposed to get down now?"

"Oh, damn!" Daisy swore. "You're right." She quickly did what she could to rouse Finn again. "Now, get my sister down!" She said when he opened his eyes.

"Why should I?" Finn smiled. "I'm just gonna get thrown out on my ass once I do. Why don't you give me…hmmm, let's see: a thousand dollars, the largest bit of meat you have in this house, and a bed here until I say otherwise, and then I'll let your sister down."

"Are you out of your mind? I'm not going to give you a thousand dollars! Or let you stay here!" Daisy's voice was indignant. She couldn't believe the poor boy's gall. He talked like a rich person!

"You will," Finn smiled. "And I think I'd like to sleep in your bed too…without you in it, of course. All you have to do is agree and I'll let your sister down. _Capisce?_ "

"Agree! Agree!" Clarissa pleaded with her sister. "I think I have to go to the bathroom!"

"Okay," Daisy sighed deeply. "You can sleep in my room. Now let Clarissa down!"

"All right," Finn grinned and Clarissa fell to the floor with a flick of his wrist, her fall softened by the load of pillows he placed under her as she rocketed downward.

"Thank you," she told him and ran for the bathroom, leaving Finn and Daisy alone.

"Are you gonna just stand here all night?" Daisy asked. "Or are you going to sleep?"

"Well, there's one more thing I'd like from you before I head to bed," he said, grabbing her and tilting her head back as his fangs lengthened. "I just need a little bite. It won't hurt a bit if you don't struggle."

But Daisy shrieked anyway, and by the time a small group of household staff had reached the kitchen, he'd let her go, wiped his mouth, and stood over her as she lay bleeding on the floor, gnawing on a leg that he'd torn off a turkey that was in the fridge.

"What have you done?" Asked a thin, balding man. "Is she going to die?"

"No," Finn said dismissively. "I didn't take _that_ much, although I could have. Now, who wants to take care of her while the others get my room ready for the night? That was part of the deal, you know. Oh, and she told me I could have her room."

"All…all right," An elderly maid with wide, frightened eyes stepped forward. "Right this way, sir. Just…please don't hurt me."

"I won't if you keep being reasonable," Finn told her. He usually wasn't mean, but being underfed was apparently making him ill-tempered. The maid led him to a light-blue painted room with a large canopy bed that had white blankets and white hangings. She pulled the covers back, zapped him up some pajamas, and put a glass of water on the bedside table. "Will you be needing anything else?" She asked in a forced cheerful voice.

"No," Finn shook his head and looked the pajamas over. "This is all acceptable. Good night."

"Goodnight, sir," the maid replied. "Sleep well."

"I will," Finn smiled at her and waved. "I promise."


	17. Fool Me Once

Fearing she was letting herself get way too attached to Junior and that it would make her forget Finn, Sarah decided to avoid him for some time. She didn't visit him, she ignored his calls, and every time he tried to come over, she fired warning shots in his direction that sent him running.

It took some time, but finally, she was ready to face him again.

"Oh, look at that," he said when she showed up at his front door and he answered. "Now you're talking to me. And what? No gun today?"

"I did that because I needed time away from you," she said. "All of this is a mess. I was leading you on."

"Excuse me?" Junior asked and raised an eyebrow. "You mean all that closeness was a lie?"

Sarah nodded. "It's cause you look like Finn," she said "Not for any other reason. I just thought I would come and tell you that. I'm gonna go now. Goodbye."

"Wait!" Junior called. "You can't just go!"

"Yes, I can," Sarah said, turning. "I'll see you later, Sean."

Junior watched her go and he was so mad that he couldn't even marvel at the good view. When she was gone, he slammed the door loudly and stomped into the kitchen where his mother was getting blood out of the fridge.

"Was that Sarah?" She asked. "What happened? I heard the door slam."

"Mom, look up from the refrigerator, please," he said to her.

Mary did just that and started. "Finn, why are you calling me 'Mom'? What are you doing here?"

"I'm not Finn," he said, turning himself back. "I'm Sean. Finn's somewhere else. I used a spell to change bodies with him so his birth parents would be less likely to find him. I knew it would make Sarah happy."

Mary chuckled. "And if, in return, she gave you some sort of affection, that wouldn't be so bad for you either, would it, Sean?"

Sean's jaw dropped a little and he feigned shock, "Mom, it really hurts me that you would accuse me of having ulterior motives like that. As you all are always telling me, she's my cousin, so having that kind of relationship is silly."

"Oh, but I'm sure that if you wanted it bad enough, that wouldn't matter," Mary replied. "Would it?"

"No, it wouldn't," Junior huffed. "Especially with all the bullshit she's pulling now. Did you know that she told me that the only reason she's getting close to me is because I'm in Finn's body? Can you believe her nerve?"

"I know it's hurtful, but maybe this is a sign you should move on from her and find someone more willing to love you in a way that doesn't require you to jump through a zillion hoops," Mary suggested and pushed some of her curly red hair out of her eyes. "Are you gonna do that? Or are you just gonna ignore my advice and pursue Sarah more aggressively?"

"What do you think?" Junior asked. He then grabbed some blood of his own, gulped a bit down and carried the rest to his room.

Mary sighed and shook her head as she watched him go. "Oh, god," she whispered to herself. "I didn't want this to happen, but it seems like he's getting more and more like his father every day."

* * *

Just as he'd told his mother, Junior was determined not to let Sarah's slight go unpunished. The next day, he had a few drinks and then drove to Sarah's house, and as she was coming back after taking Sunny for a walk, he grabbed her and pulled her toward his car, swearing Sunny bit deep into his leg. It wasn't enough to deter him, though, and he was able to throw Sarah in the back of his car and slam the door shut.

"Sean, what are you doing?" She asked as they began to drive away. "Have you lost your mind?"

"No, but I think _you_ did when you thought you could play these stupid games with me," he told her. "And since you've already made your move, now I think it's _my_ turn to play. Don't you?"

"I smelled alcohol on your breath," Sarah told him. "Don't you do this. I know you'll regret it later. Just go home, sleep it off, and we can talk again when you're sober.

"No!" He said, grabbing her and giving her a slap, his eyes wide and red. "We're going to do this now!" He grabbed her arms and held her so tight that she winced.

"What is it that you want from me?" Sarah asked.

"How stupid _are_ you?" Junior cried, giving her a shake. "You know perfectly well what I want from you, but I know you won't give it to me of your own free will, even though you and I both know that you want me as bad as I want you. I guess I'll have to compel you to show your true feelings."

"No," Sarah shook her head, her eyes wide. "You shouldn't do that. What sort of relationship would it be if you knew that the only reason I was having positive thoughts about you was because you forced them to happen? Don't you want a relationship that's more genuine than that?"

"Of course," Junior nodded. "But at this point, I have to take what I can get, don't I?" He smiled and ran his hands over her body. "And since you don't seem to have a gun on you, this'll be easier than I thought."

"I could get a gun any time," Sarah replied and punched him in the face. "But that won't do you any good. It won't cure you of your delusions about us. I don't want to hurt you. I just want you to get help so you don't think in this terrible way anymore."

"You don't want to hurt me, yet you just punched me in the face," Junior said and put a hand to his eye. "You're a real hypocrite, you know that?"

"Well, I have a right to defend myself if you say you're gonna hurt me or do something else that might put me in danger," Sarah told him. "And I'm not afraid to do it, either. I don't care what you threaten to do to me." Then, with a flick of her hand, she had made it so that Sean's head was repeatedly hitting against the window. Then she got out of the car and began running away.

It took a big burst of strength, but Junior managed to get out from under the spell and bounded after Sarah as she continued to run down the street. Sunny was running after them and nipping at Sean's ankles, but since she was just a tiny dog, he just kicked her out of the way and continued running. He got close enough to grab Sarah, and she elbowed him in the face and stepped on his foot, which made him let her go and fall to the ground. When he looked up, she was holding a gun and pointing it at his face.

"I don't have to shoot this, Sean," she said. "But I will if you keep hurting me, cause I don't know how you could expect me to love someone who treats me so badly."

"Okay, fine," Sean said. "I won't hurt you anymore. I promise."

She eyed him suspiciously, but then let him get to his feet. Not long after, he made another grab for her and when she aimed the gun again and shot, he threw her down on the ground and used Sunny as a shield. She took the bullet meant for him, and when Sarah saw this, she let out a shriek and fell to her knees, cradling her puppy. Although Sunny wasn't dead, she was still hurt.

"You _monster_!" She spat. "How could you hurt an animal? She was just trying to protect me. Like you would if you really loved me as much as you say you do. Who takes revenge against a person they love?" She then turned to look at everyone who'd gathered nearby to stare at them. "There now, look what you did," she said. "Witnesses."

"Well, don't just stand there, go back to my car!" Junior said. "We can finish talking there."

"Are you sure that talking is all we're doing?" Sarah asked skeptically.

But she went to his car and then Sarah demanded he drive to a nearby walk-in vet clinic.

"Fine," he huffed. "We'll save the damn dog. But you better not delay anymore after that."

Thankfully, it was a slow time in the day and the clinic was all but empty as Junior and Sarah waited for Sunny to be taken care of.

"In a way, this is all your fault," Junior said. "If you hadn't fucked with me, then I wouldn't have felt the need to take revenge on you. Think about that."

"Well, if you had just listened to, and accepted the fact that I liked Finn more than you and bowed out gracefully, then I wouldn't have had to mess with you," Sarah replied. "So the fault is _yours_."

"Who the hell cares whose fault it is?" Junior told her impatiently. "From now on, I'm not gonna let you have any more excuses." He hit her with a spell and then said, what do you see when you look at me?"

"You!" Sarah told him. "Even though you're in Finn's body, I see you!"

"Exactly," Junior nodded. "No more seeing Finn and living a relationship with him vicariously through me. I did this to protect him. I don't need grief from you."

Sarah slapped him again then. "You still don't get it. First, you kidnap me. Then, you hurt my dog, and now you're putting spells on me so I can be what you want. You just…I hate you. You know what? Go to hell. And I would prefer if you left. I know you don't give a shit about Sunny and I don't want you being anywhere near her once she's gotten better."

He chuckled and grabbed her. "Well, how about a goodbye kiss before I go, hmmm?" He nibbled on her ear, and the feel of his moist lips on her neck as she tried to squirm out of his grasp made her feel physically ill.

He then zapped her into his car, and she heard the foreboding sound of the lock of the car door clicking into place.  
"Go to hell!" She repeated, pounding on him with her fists. "I hate you."

"Yes, yes, yes," Junior told her. "I know you hate me. You've said it many times. But I know you love me too, don't you? That you want me. Go on, admit it." His lips then crashed against hers, and after she scratched his face with her nails, she found herself kissing him back. "I hate you," she said when she could speak. "I hate you, I hate you!" She then heard her blouse rip, and saw a bit of pink fabric in between Sean's fingers. He dropped it and pushed her back against the cracked window as he pushed her shirt up and began kissing her stomach, his lips warm on her skin. Then, he unzipped her skirt so his kisses could go lower and lower, until they stopped at her panty line. Then he paused, and Sarah stopped breathing. Was it all over? Had whatever darkness that had taken hold of him finally loosened its grip?

He opened the door and helped her out of the car, then stood with her on the sidewalk, making a big show of spitting on the cement beside him.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked. "Some slight about my kissing? You were pressuring me. It's not my fault I wasn't at my best. Now, I should probably go in and check on Sunny."

"You do that," Sean replied. "I've finally realized that I have more respect for myself than to chase after Finn Parker's leftovers, especially since, as you frequently point out, you're my cousin!"

She slapped him again for good measure and then headed back into the clinic to get her dog as Junior growled, got in his car, and drove back to his parents' house, making a plan for what to tell them when they asked where he'd gone.

* * *

It was while Junior was hiding in his room that John came to visit Mary.

"Who are you?" She asked him when he appeared in the kitchen. "What do you want?"

"I'd like to get to know my son better, if that's all right with you," he said smoothly and sat down. "Edele told me he was here."

"Oh, shit!" Mary replied, her eyes widening as memories began to pop up in her brain. Memories that were best left buried for the sake of her and Liam's relationship. "You're the Phoenix, aren't you?"

"You look frightened, dear," John chuckled. "It seems my reputation precedes me."

"Yes, well…now's not a good time to visit your son," Mary told him. "Please leave."

"Not until I get what I came for," he said and leaned very close to her. It was a sudden loud, angry voice that separated them.

"Hey!" Liam cried, his voice cracking like a whip. This wasn't something he found nice to come home to after a long day at work. "Get away from my wife!"

"I will once she lets me see my son," John told Liam. "I know that he lives here."

"The only son who lives here is mine!" Liam told him.

"Not exactly," John smiled and then said to Mary, "I see you haven't told him."

"Told me what?" Liam asked. "Mary, what in the hell is he talking about?"

"He's crazy!" Mary cried and ran into his arms, even though her voice was full of panic. "Don't listen to a word he says."

"Are you lying to me about something, Mary?" Liam asked. "Is Sean my son, or not?"

"No," John told him. "He's mine."

"What?" Liam asked and gave Mary a shake. "How the hell did that happen?"

Mary sighed. The cat was out of the bag now and there was no way to get it back in. "I-I made a deal with Edele," she got out, blushing furiously at Liam's penetrating glare. His blue eyes were cold and steely. She'd never seen him this mad before. "She…she told me that she would tell you the way to break my curse if I agreed to carry one of her and her lover's children. I was desperate to have the curse lifted, so I agreed, and I didn't tell you about it because I thought you would be mad and we'd never be together."

"You shouldn't have kept that from me," He told her. "I wouldn't have loved you any less. Or Sean any less. I would have understood. I can't believe you didn't trust me."

"I'm sorry," Mary replied. "I…I think I should go now. Stay with my parents for a few days until everything calms down."

"Yeah," Liam huffed. "Maybe you should." It was then that he looked up and saw Junior staring at them. He was standing on the stairs, and he'd heard the whole thing.

"Mom?" He said to Mary.

That one word did her in. She burst into tears and zapped herself from the house. John disappeared with a grin too, his terrible deed done.

"What happens now?" Junior asked as he approached his father.

"I don't know," Liam shrugged. "I don't see any good coming out of this."

"I can see one thing," he said and pulled out his phone to dial Sarah's number. "I'm not Sarah's cousin, so she can't use that excuse to avoid me anymore."

* * *

"You just can't leave me alone today, can you?" She barked after he told her the news. "You don't get your way and you just keep finding ways to screw with me."

"This isn't a lie!" He insisted. "It's the truth! My parents are fighting over it because Mom kept the fact that my dad isn't really my dad a secret for a long time."

"It seems _much_ too opportune," Sarah told him. "I don't believe you."

"Would you believe my dad?" Junior asked. "I'll have _him_ tell you."

"Fine," Sarah replied. "You do that."

So Junior brought the phone to Liam, who confirmed his say in a tired voice. "It's true. Sean isn't biologically my son. And I have no reason to lie to you. You know that."

There was a sound on the other end of the line as if the phone had been dropped, then, a dial tone.

"Well," Liam told Junior as he hung up, "I think she believes it now. That, and we might have killed her from the shock. I wasn't exactly gentle."

"Thanks," Sean told him. "I appreciate the help."

"You're welcome," Liam replied. "I'm gonna order a pizza. You wanna split it with me?"

"Sure," Junior nodded. "That would be nice."


	18. Junior Takes A Stand

"Now are you sure you don't want to come riding with us?" Matthew asked his daughter. "You can, you know."

"I know," Sarah sighed and gave him a hug. "It's just that I've been through a lot and I really need some time to let it go through my head. But I promise I'll go and ride Rainbow soon."

"All right," Matthew told her. "Whatever makes you happy." They left, and she settled down with popcorn and put on _Sleepless in Seattle._ The movie had just started when the doorbell rang. Sighing, she put the popcorn bowl down, paused the film, and went to see who was at the door. She opened it just enough to see that Junior was on the other side and started to slam the door in his face, but he put his foot in it to stop it from closing.

"I know you're mad at me," he said. "But we need to talk. Can I come in? And please tell me your parents aren't home."

"They're not," Sarah told him. "You can come in, but before we talk, you have to watch a movie with me. Cause it was just starting when you showed up and I don't want to delay watching it anymore."

"Damn," Junior winced as he came inside. "Is it girly movie?"

"Yes," Sarah smiled wickedly. "But I have popcorn!"

"Fine," Junior sighed and let her take his arm to drag him into the living room, where she put a spell on him so that he would only be able to leave her sight in order to go to the bathroom. "I guess I owe you that since I kidnapped you and hurt your dog."

"Yeah," Sarah nodded and pushed him down onto the couch. "You do!" They sat down to watch the movie just as Sunny scampered in, looking perfectly well. She saw Junior, and growled as she went to stand next to Sarah's leg protectively. "It's okay," Sarah told her and patted her head. "Junior won't hurt me now. He promised."

But the little yellow lab refused to leave and set herself down on one of Sarah's feet, watching Junior with suspicion, and when he got up to go to the bathroom, she followed him and barked loudly from outside the closed bathroom door.

Sarah was very amused by this and let it go on for a little bit before she took pity on him, picked up Sunny, and took her back to the living room. "You're a little hero," she told her. "But we should let Junior go to the bathroom in peace since it's the only peace he gets due to that spell I put on him."

When he was done, he left the bathroom and was zipped back to the living room couch.

"Hello," Sarah smiled. "Nice to see you drop by!"

"Ha-ha," Junior told her. "Let's just get this movie over with, all right?"

They watched for a short while before Junior's mind began to wander. He put a hand on her thigh and said, "So, what do you think about us not being related? Crazy thing, huh?"

Sarah pushed his hand off her leg and sighed. "It doesn't really mean anything to me," she told him in a matter of fact voice. "I'm not gonna just start liking you now that you theoretically are a pursuable option for me."

"Yeah, yeah," Junior sighed. "I know. It's always gonna be Finn."

"Exactly," Sarah nodded. "Now shush! I'm trying to watch the movie!"

He quieted, but then grinned a little at how quickly she changed the subject, how she kept her gaze away from his, and how her face was slowly beginning to turn a light shade of pink. There was a reason for that, obviously, and it had nothing to do with Finn, and probably everything to do with him, no matter what she told herself.

He did what he did next knowing that he was pressing his luck. He took her face in his hands and gave her a gentle smile. "It's okay," he said. "You don't have to lie to me about your feelings. I already know what they are because you wear your heart on your sleeve. It's really easy to tell what you're feeling, even when you try to hide it."

"Oh, really?" Sarah scoffed. "So you know how sorry I feel for Finny now that he has to be related to _you?_ Or is it only the feelings you _wish_ I would feel that you can tell, instead of the ones I actually do?"

Instead of being offended, like she wanted him to be, he just laughed. "That is bullshit, Sunny, and you know it."

"Why the hell did you call me that?" She asked and pushed his hand away.

"It's an affectionate nickname," Junior told her. "Like you give someone when you are fond of them."

"I never told you that you could give me an affectionate nickname!" She told him. "Stop it!"

"Oh, all right," He said and took her face in his hands again. "Will you kiss me?"

"No!" Sarah shook her head. "And you _really_ need to learn what that word means!" She then turned her head away, a swirl of thoughts all fighting for dominance in her head. Sean's behavior was repulsive for sure, but that didn't mean she didn't find him aesthetically pleasing. Especially his lips. They were so full, and he frequently pushed the bottom one out in a slight pout, which drove her crazy, although of course, he didn't know that. With that thought being the first one in her head, her body began to move independently of her brain, her finger reaching out to touch the bottom lip that enamored her so much. When she did that, Junior took her hand and kissed the palm, then her fingers, one right after the other before finally crashing his lips against hers, and this time, to his delight, she didn't resist him. They kissed wildly for a little bit, clinging to one another as they stumbled around the living room, only pulling apart to breathe before bringing their lips together again. Their mouths were hot and so were their bodies, so they began to pull at each other's clothes, which made them lose their balance and fall back onto the sofa.

Junior stood up then, looking down at Sarah and then bringing her legs up so she was lying flat on her back on the sofa before sitting down on the empty cushion next to her, removing her shoes and socks and then slowly running his warm fingers up her bare legs, leaning closer and closer to her face as if he was going to kiss her again.

She thought he would stop once he reached the hem of her skirt, but no. He pushed it up and just kept touching, which was not something she minded if she was gonna be totally honest. His hands on her inner thighs made her moan and reach up to grab some of his blonde hair in her fist. He grunted a little, but he wasn't hurt, and began to kiss her neck, even biting a little and slowly licking up the blood. Then, he reached her panties and he had a decision to make: Should he stop here? Should he keep going? He asked Sarah, who was panting madly underneath him. "Do you want me to go further?" He asked in a hoarse whisper. "Or do you want me to stop?"

"Go!" She whispered. "Don't stop now!"

Junior continued to kiss her neck while gently slipping his fingers under her panties and giving her a good rub. He wanted to have her completely, but he had to take it slow so that she wanted him more and more until she begged him to go all the way, because that's what they both deserved: an experience that was good for both of them.

It was lucky that he had no plans to rush it because Sarah didn't plan on letting him. After a little more stroking, she suddenly sat up and put a hand on his wrist. "Stop," she said. "We have to stop this now."

"Why?" He asked and moved his hand. "Why deny yourself pleasure and passion?"

"Well, pleasure and passion is good enough," she told him. "But what about genuine love? I'll admit that I'm very attracted to you. I think that's obvious based on what we just almost did. But you…you don't seem the sort to give me the sort of love I've read about in books. And I don't want to push it on you. I only would ask of you what you're capable of giving and genuine love is not one of those things."

"What makes you think that?" He asked, feeling a little offended. He rose to his feet and towered over her, which made him feel a bit better. "I believe that's a judgment that is unfair and undeserved."

"Is it?" Sarah asked. "When have we just talked about things? Discussed shared interests and experiences? It seems like every time we get together, we end up in the position we were just in or damn close to it. Finn would never do that to me. He cares about my mind and not just my body."

"He's my brother, you remember," Junior told her. "Despite what you tell yourself to avoid your feelings for me, there's really no difference between us."

"Yes, there is," Sarah told him firmly, taking Sunny in her lap. "You're too much like your father for me to really love you. He's not. Do you understand? You can't deny it, and that's why, no matter what _you_ tell yourself about our future, you can never really love me. Let's just save ourselves a lot of grief and move on from each other. Maybe you should go now."

"Yes," Junior spat, hiding his eyes so that she wouldn't see how badly her words had stung him, to the point where he was beginning to tear up. "Maybe I will! I hope you enjoy the present I left you as a reminder of what you missed out on cause you're so stubborn! And I swear I'll never trouble you with my obnoxious, annoying, pure evil presence ever again! Have a nice life with my brother. I hope it's as boring as you want it to be!" He stormed off, slamming the door behind him.

Sarah initially took his last words to her as a petty way to shame her for what she'd said, but then, when she went to look out the front door, she saw a basket of dog toys and treats on the front step, with a note attached. _I'm sorry for hurting you, Sunny and I hope these will give you a better opinion of me. And keep taking good care of Sarah. She needs someone to do it since I won't be around anymore._

Sarah picked the basket up, a hand over her mouth as tears sprang from her eyes. She hadn't expected this from him. She'd expected some petty taunt about how it was her bullet that had hurt Sunny and that she was just as much at fault for her puppy's injury as he was. And yet, he hadn't said anything like that. He'd just given her an apology.

As she shut the door, Sunny came and butted her leg with her head. "Look," Sarah told her, putting the basket down on the ground and taking out a bone with one hand and a red ball with the other. "Junior left you some treats. He _really_ feels bad about what he did to you." She threw the ball and Sunny ran after it with enthusiasm, all anger at Junior forgotten. Sarah sighed as she watched this, wondering if she herself would ever be able to be as forgiving.

* * *

Being rejected so harshly by Sarah caused Junior to sort of…give up, so when The Phoenix came for him, he didn't fight back much.

"I thought we could continue our 'chats' from your last visit," John told him. "I hope that you've toughened up since I last saw you. Or is your sister still the stronger one between the two of you?"

Junior was about to ask what he meant because to his knowledge, he didn't _have_ a sister, when he suddenly remembered that he was in Finn's body, and Finn did indeed have a sister. John was seeing him as Finn because it was only Sarah who saw him as he really was. With this in mind, he thought of going along with it and imitating his meek brother, but then decided not to.

"Of course Molly isn't the stronger one between the two of us," He told him. "I'm much better. I just had an off day when you first met me."

"Well, I should hope so," John replied.

When they got home, he agreed to show off his magical prowess. John was pleased at first, but then he got a strange look on his face.

"What?" Junior asked when John took him by the arm and looked him in the eye. "What's the matter? I'm competently performing magic, just like you wanted me to. What's your problem?"

"That," John said. "How can you go from a boy who doesn't do magic well under stress and fears being in the same room with me to being magically skilled and much more bold in just a few days?" He paused, his dark eyes narrowed. "Are you really Finn? You're not, are you?"

"Of course I'm Finn!" Junior got out. "Who else would I be?"

"If you're my son with that redhead Mary, it's providence because I sought her out yesterday, looking for you," John told him. "Whoever you are, I suggest you get rid of that terrible disguise now and show me your true self."

"I would love to, but I really can't," Junior told him. "This is my body now. I switched it with Finn's."

"Why would you do that?" John snapped. "Was it an effort to protect him?"

"Yes," Junior said. "To make the woman who loves him happy. Not that that did anything for _me._ " He scoffed.

"Surely there must be some other way to show me who you really are," John told him. "Find one."

"All right," Junior sighed and did the same thing he did to Sarah, just in the form of a spell.

"There," he said. "Do you see me now?"

"Yes," John nodded and winced. "You look like that horrible husband of Mary's."

"Well, I'm sorry," Junior told him sarcastically. "But we can't really control genetics, now can we?"

"No," John sighed. "I suppose I'll just have to put up with it until I can ask Edele if there's some way to fix it. Until then, you'll show me more of what you can do. I'm eager to see."

"All right," Junior nodded. "Whatever you say."

They were busy doing magic and Junior was drinking in the praise when a pretty blonde appeared and stared at them with irritation. "What's taking so long?" She asked irritably. "You told me that once you finished the kidnapping, then you'd spend some time with me, so why aren't you?"

"Sorry, Freya, but there's been a change in plans," John told her. "I have to spend some time with my son."

"But why?" Freya asked. "You've already done that and bemoaned how hopeless he is to me."

"Well, this is a different son," John said with a smile. "A much more skilled one."

"Oh, great," Freya sighed. "Another person to take more attention away from me. Fine, play with your kid. Just don't keep me waiting, all right?" She stomped off and Junior smirked at his father.

"Who's that?" He asked. "She seems like a real piece of work."

"I know," John sighed. "Her name is Freya. She's very beautiful, and bringing her here seemed like a good idea when I first thought of it, but now I'm starting to question my choice, even if she's the ace up my sleeve against the Original family. Be very careful of the women you bring into your life. Looks aren't everything, especially when they come with a poison personality."

"All right," Junior told him. "It's not a worry for me, but I'll keep it in mind anyway. I promise."

* * *

Although the thought of not being constantly badgered by Junior to confess her feelings for him had initially filled Sarah with relief, when she found out from her mother that Mary had called and told her about him being captured by the Phoenix, she became worried. She'd wanted a break from him. She hadn't wanted him to be tortured and taken out of her life forever!

After hearing the news, she went out back to where her father was washing the truck and asked if she could borrow it.

"Can you wait just a little while?" He asked. "I'm almost done washing it, I promise." He then paused as he saw the worry on her face.

"Darlin', what's wrong?" He asked, hugging her. "What's happened?"

"It's Junior," she said, burying her face in his neck. "He's been captured by his crazy birth father and I don't know if I'll ever see him again. That's why I need the car: so I can go see Malachai and Helene and find out if they know anything."

"All right," Matthew told her. "If you'll finish cleaning the car off with your magic, then you can take the car to see Malachai and Helene."

"Thank you," Sarah nodded. She did what her father asked, then he threw her the keys, and in a matter of seconds, she was speeding off to her other parents' house.

* * *

"Sarah!" Helene exclaimed as she opened the front door and pulled the younger girl into a hug. "How in the world are you? It's been so long since you've been here!"

"I know, and I'm really sorry about that," Sarah apologized. "But I…I have something that I need help with and I think you and Malachai are the only people I can come to with it."

"Sure," Helene replied. "What do you need?"

"Well, Junior's been kidnapped by the Phoenix," Sarah said. "I've been waiting to hear if he's all right, but I haven't heard anything. Can Malachai perhaps ease my mind?"

"I'll see," Helene replied. "But I'm sure everything will be all right."

She went and told Malachai what had happened, and even though he was hesitant to call his sister and ask, he did the next best thing and called Kai to ask him to ask Edele.

Sarah paced around the living room biting her nails until she got the news.

"Edele says he's fine and that he and John are getting along famously," Malachai told her. "Maybe even _too_ well."

"What does that mean 'too well'?" Sarah asked, grabbing Malachai by the collar as panic rose up in her. "Do you think he'll kill Junior because he doesn't want anyone upstaging him?"

"I'm sure that won't happen," Malachai said and gave her a hug. "Edele wouldn't let it, even if Junior's mother is someone else. She seems to have become much more caring all of a sudden."

Sarah shuddered a little. "Well, I hope you're right!"

* * *

And he was. As much as John the Phoenix liked his kids to be powerful, he became annoyed when Junior showed what he viewed as too much skill.

"All right, that's enough," he told him when he was overpowered and sent flying through the wall and onto the pavement.

"I'm sorry," Junior smirked. "Did I hurt you?"

"Go home," John said shortly. "And give your mother my best."

"I'm sure Freya won't be sad to see me go," Junior told him as he helped him to his feet. "I bet she's really missed you since I arrived." He burst into chuckles then and disappeared.

* * *

When he got to his parents' house, he went inside and answered the phone that was ringing. "Hello?"

"Sean!" Sarah cried. "I've been calling every day to see if you've been freed. How did you break out?"

"I annoyed John with my demonstrations of power and he threw a fit and told me to go home," Junior told her. "Can you believe that?"

"Well, I'm just glad you're safe," Sarah replied. "And I'm sure everyone else will be too. Have you told them?"

"No," Junior shook his head. "I just got home and my parents aren't here, but they'll obviously know once they arrive and probably tell everyone else too. You wanna celebrate my triumphant return over dinner?"

"Sure," Sarah replied. "If your parents decide to throw you a welcome home dinner, let me know and I'll be there."

"That's not exactly what I had in mind," Junior corrected her.

"I know," Sarah replied, smugness in her voice.

Junior groaned and said, "So you still wanna lead me around by my nose while being in denial about your feelings then? Fine. If that's how things are, I give up. I don't want you near me anymore! Goodbye!" and hung the phone up after Sarah's shocked and tearful-sounding goodbye because she hadn't expected such venom from him. He did some magic to bring back his usual appearance for everyone, since he was no longer interested in Sarah and thus didn't need to pretend to be the boy she loved. Then his cell rang. "Hello?" He said.

"Hi, Sean," said a voice. "It's Kai. Just so you know, I'm coming to rescue you so you don't have to put up with my mother and her stupid boyfriend much longer. I'm right outside their house and once I figure out how to get in without having to cross my mother's path, you'll be out in no time."

"That's nice of you," Junior said. "But I got out on my own and I'm at home now, so you won't have to deal with your mother at all."

"You are?" Kai said in amazement. "How in the world did you accomplish that?"

"I was too powerful and annoying apparently," Junior told him. "So dear old Daddy kicked me out."

"That sounds familiar," Kai said. "My mother is the same way. All right, glad you're safe. We'll talk later. Bye."

"Bye," Junior said and then ended the call before waiting for his parents to return.


	19. A Decision Made Too Late

"Damn it!" Sarah swore. "He didn't answer the phone again!" She stomped her foot and looked angrily at her mother. "I think Sean is avoiding me. Can you believe his nerve?"

"Well, give him time," Christine said. "I'm sure he'll come around eventually. But I don't blame him for wanting to go his own way when you're not fully committed. That's not fair to him."

"But I just don't know how he can expect me to commit to him when he could be evil!" Sarah cried. "I'm not the type to commit to evil people. I like _good_ people with good hearts who aren't nasty and mean just for the fun of it."

"Come here," Christine told her daughter and patted a spot next to her on the sofa. Sarah came and sat and her mother put her arms around her. "I know you won't want to hear this, but if you take people out of your life because of what they _might_ do, you're gonna be very lonely."

"So you think I'm being too harsh and that I should find Sean and tell him I'm sorry?" Sarah asked.

"If you want to maintain a relationship with him, I think that would be a good idea," Christine nodded.

"But how am I supposed to find him to apologize if he won't talk to me and I have no idea where he is?" Sarah asked.

"Oh, I'm sure you'll find a way," her mother smiled. "You're resourceful enough. Oh, but be sure and come back before dinner. Eva and Sean are coming over tonight."

"Do you suppose Sean would know where his nephew is?" Sarah asked hopefully.

"I don't know," Christine shrugged. "You might get a more helpful answer if you ask someone a bit closer to him. You know what I mean?"

"Sure," Sarah nodded and made her way to Liam and Mary's house.

* * *

"Oh, Sarah!" Mary cried when she opened the door and saw the brunette on the step. She looked at her for a second or two and then pulled her into a tight bear hug and shut the door behind her. "I'm so relieved you're here. I was just about to call you to come over, cause I'm at my wits' end and I need your help!"

"Why?" Sarah asked, feeling her stomach sink a little. "Is it about Sean? Cause I haven't heard from him since he decided to break up with me, and every time I try and call him, he doesn't answer."

"Oh, really?" Mary asked and shook her curly red head. "Well, damn. There goes that plan."

"But we can still look for him, can't we?" Sarah put the idea forward. "Can't you do some tracking spell to find him?"

"I'm sure I could," Mary told her. "I'd have to ask my father though, because sadly, I don't know as much magic as I should."

"Good," Sarah nodded. "You start looking for him first because if I do it, he'd probably run the other way. I told him basically that he should start seeing other people and I meant it. Do you think he listened?"

"Well, I hope not," Mary replied. "But we haven't heard a word from him for ages, like I said, and he didn't even show up for his first day of school according to my father, so who knows what he's doing or who he's with?" She sighed.

"You'll find him," Sarah told her. "I promise."

"I hope you're right," Mary agreed and gave her a hug. "I really do."

* * *

"You know, I think _Pride and Prejudice_ was an excellent choice for our next book club read," Selina said to Amelia as her mother sat down next to her on the sofa the next day, which happened to be a Saturday. "Granted I usually prefer more modern types of the same story, like _Bridget Jones' Diary,_ but it doesn't hurt to read new things."

"Well, I thought you wouldn't mind it because Lizzie and Mr. Darcy are not that much different from you and Elijah," Amelia smiled. "Do you ever remember me reading to you when you were a child? Or is it just the bad stuff that crowds your brain now. Not that I blame you, of course."

"No," Selina shook her head. "I remember us reading Shakespeare and Dickens and you telling me that I couldn't breathe a word of it to Granny and Granddaddy or else you'd get in big trouble."

"Yes, and that was even when I was a grown woman," Amelia shook her head. "My god, how spineless was I?"

"You were doing the best you could," Selina told her.

"No, I wasn't," Amelia shook her head. "I thought I was at the time, but I really wasn't." They sat in the awkward silences that usually followed Amelia making amends for her past mistakes and then Selina cracked the book open. "Let's start reading, shall we?"

"Yes," Amelia nodded. "Let's do."

"I made fudge," Selina said and got to her feet. "Do you want it? And some coffee?"

"Sure," Amelia nodded. "Thank you."

* * *

After she and her mother finished book club for the day, Selina was cleaning the kitchen when she heard a knock on the door. Curious to see who it was, she stopped wiping off the counter for a moment and went to open the door, surprised to see her little sister and stepdaughter on the other side. "Sarah!" She exclaimed. "Christine! Hi! What can I do for you?"

"I'm having a problem and Mom's already put in her two cents that weren't particularly helpful, so I thought I would ask you," Sarah replied.

"I tried my best, but what are you gonna do?" Christine shrugged. "Apparently, I didn't give her the answer she was looking for." They headed into the living room, but Christine stiffened when she saw Amelia, who still made her a bit nervous, despite the fact that Amelia had already come to terms with Christine's relationship with Matthew. "Sorry," she apologized and tugged on Sarah's arm as she and Amelia locked eyes. "Selina, I didn't know your mother was visiting. We can come back later."

"No, it's all right," Amelia assured her, "We've finished what I came here for. Go ahead and sit. What's going on?"

Sarah looked at the three women who had their eyes on her and blushed. "I don't know if I can say," she told them. "You're gonna think it's stupid."

"It's not stupid," Christine replied. "Everybody goes through it at one point. We all have, I'm betting."

"All right," Sarah sat down, her eyes on her lap and her cheeks coloring. "I'm having trouble with a boy. He broke up with me because I was still iffy on making a commitment and now he won't talk to me at all."

"I told her that it was no wonder if he wants a commitment and she's not ready to make one, but maybe you could give her a different perspective," Christine told Amelia and Selina. "Can you?"

"I think I can," Selina nodded. "Sarah, do you really like this guy?"

"Yeah," Sarah nodded. "But what stopped me from committing is that his father is dark and evil and I don't want to risk being with someone who turns out the same way, even if I _do_ find him attractive."

"Well, both of us have/have had spouses who, if they believed that too, then that wouldn't have been good," Selina replied. "For instance, if Daddy hadn't decided to take a chance with Mama despite the fact that he knew about her werewolf secret, I wouldn't have been born."

"Daddy knew about you being a werewolf and he still married you?" Sarah asked Amelia in surprise and then turned to her mother. "You too?"

"Yep," Christine nodded. "And that was when he'd met my mother too. Your father has a very patient and brave nature. He doesn't always assume the worst of people and if there's a problem, he's able to find a sensible way to deal with it instead of running away in a panic, which is one of his best qualities."

"And your grandpa Elijah…" Selina added, pausing to chuckle at thinking of Elijah in those terms. "He saw the worst of me. Like, seriously the absolute worst. The most evil I've ever been in my whole life and…he still loved me. Sure, he sometimes holds that period over my head and has issues with me doing certain things cause he thinks they'll tempt me to go back over to the dark side, but the important thing is, he had faith that I had good in me too, and helped me get there. If you love this guy, I think it's worth it to give him a chance, even if you're worried about what could happen because he's got darkness in him."

"That's what I thought, but I wasn't sure if it was crazy or a good idea," Sarah replied. "Thanks. But now that I know I have it in me to commit to him, what am I supposed to do? Like I said, he won't take my calls and I have no idea where he went."

"Well, maybe we can help you find him," Selina offered. "Who is it?"

"Sean," Sarah replied. "Also known as Junior."

"What?" Selina asked, her jaw dropping a little. "Are you telling me that my great grandson is off gallivanting around somewhere and no one knows where he went? I had no idea! I'm gonna have a word with his father because really, I think I should know stuff like this!"

She stood up and Sarah ran after her. "Wait a minute!" She said. "Junior is related to you?"

"Yep," Selina nodded and angrily punched Liam and Mary's number into her phone "I spent many long and painful hours giving birth to his grandfather behind a bar at Enid's." When Liam answered the phone, she barked, "Liam, it's your grandmother. When were you planning on telling me that your son has flown the coop and might very well be causing all sorts of trouble? I had to hear it from Sarah!"

"Well, we have people looking out for him, so we thought we wouldn't bother you with it since you don't deal with our side of the family so much anymore," Liam explained. "Sorry."

"I would deal with you if you told me you wanted me to, or that there was something going on that needed my attention!" Selina cried. "Jeez Louise!"

"Sorry," Liam apologized. "Now that you know he's gone, will you keep an eye out for him?"

"Of course I will," Selina told him, although she still sounded a bit perturbed. "Thank you for asking for my help."

"You're welcome," Liam said, feeling a bit terrified at the sound of her voice. "Goodbye. We'll let you know if we find something and you do likewise for us."

"I will," Selina told him. "Goodbye." The line went dead and then Selina turned to her sister. "Why don't we start looking for Junior now?" She suggested. "I think I might have an idea where he went. Or are you busy?"

"No, we're not busy," Sarah said and then told her mother they were going, meaning that Christine and Amelia would be left in the house together. "Goodbye!"

The door slammed and Christine and Amelia were left in the living room staring awkwardly at one another until Amelia said, "Would you like some fudge? I believe Selina and I didn't eat it all."

"Sure, thanks," Christine nodded. "I would love some."

* * *

After Sarah explained to Selina what Junior's mood had been like when she'd last seen him, Selina took a gamble and headed to Roxie's. "I bet if he's not here yet, he will be," she said. "Let's wait and see, shall we?"

So they watched and waited and sure enough, soon Junior came out of the bar. Or at least Sarah _thought_ it was Junior. He'd seemed to have gained a fondness for leather since she'd seen him last, and he had a girl on his arm who was dressed the exact same way. They were standing awfully close together as they walked to his car and when it seemed like they were about to kiss, Sarah closed her eyes.

"All right," Selina told her a few seconds later. "It's over. They aren't kissing anymore. Who is she? Do you know her?"

"No," Sarah shook her head. "And I don't think I want to. No wonder he hasn't been answering my calls." She paused. "Good for him for moving on, I guess."

"If you wanna punch her face in, you can admit it," Selina assured her as she gave Sarah a hug. "I won't tell anyone."

"All right," Sarah nodded. "I wanna punch her face in, cause he….he's mine!" She paused. "And now that I know where Junior is, I can focus on Finn cause I don't know where he went either. I wonder."

* * *

"Yes, I'll be home soon!" Finn assured Victoria. "I'm just…I'm a little busy right now."

"Doing what?" Victoria asked. "What could have possibly kept you away from home for so long? You're not letting Edele and John manipulate you, right?"

"No," Finn said. "I promise you I'm not. I just…I needed a little time to get used to how to live my life after Junior tricked me into switching bodies with him."

"He did?" Kai asked. "I don't know why I didn't think that happened. I feel like an idiot. How long until you feel you've mentally prepared enough to come back?"

The door to his bedroom opened and Daisy came in, glaring at him and tapping her foot. "Hang up," she ordered. "I need to use the phone now."

"Just a minute," Finn told his parents. "An extremely rude and unpleasant person is interrupting us." He placed the phone down on the bed beside him and said, "Don't you have other lines besides the one I'm using? Use them."

"No," Daisy shook her head. "This is _my_ house, I can use whatever damn phone line I want, and I want to use that one!" She took the phone and said into it, "Your friend is gonna have to hang up now, and may I say he's a terrible and selfish person? Cause he is." She ended the call then and began dialing the number for her own call as Finn studied her.

"You know," he remarked, "When you're not wearing those ugly, floppy hats of yours and I can actually see your face, you're somewhat attractive. I would actually consider dating you once I get out of here."

"Well, lucky me," Daisy replied dryly. "But unfortunately for you, I've seen more of your face than I care to, so I'd turn you down if you asked me out. A boy who has such bad taste to wear denim every day of the week and nothing else, not to mention tacky t-shirts with cartoon characters on them is not someone I want anywhere near me."

"I wouldn't want anyone who dresses in old lady flower patterns near _me_ either!" Finn replied. "The hats age you too." He grinned widely. "Just thought I'd mention it."

Daisy's jaw dropped and she put her hands on her hips, glaring at him for a few moments and then gave him a good slap across the face before zapping him into gray slacks and a purple sweater with a white and gray striped button down shirt underneath it. "There," she smiled smugly. "You look much handsomer than before." Then she blushed. "Not to my eyes, of course…but some other girl's eyes."

"Uh-huh," Finn chuckled. "It's nice, but not really me." He zapped himself into some black jeans, black boots, and a black sweater. "There you go," he said. "Much more me. See? I know more about fashion than you think."

"Blond hair like yours doesn't go as well with black clothes," Daisy said. "You look better, but still…I hate it." She strode out of the room then with the phone to her ear and he chuckled to himself as he took back his rightful appearance. "There we go," he whispered to himself with a smile. "And she's right. The dark look is much better when I'm looking at my own face and not Sean's. It really is."


	20. A Universally Acknowledged Truth

"So, how are you feeling about Junior now?" Selina asked her sister over the phone. "Do you still want him?"

"See, that's the thing," Sarah said. "I was already to take him back and be with him, even if it was too soon. Even if it was stupid. Even if I shouldn't have. But then I saw him with that other girl and that was a real bucket of cold water, I tell you. I don't even need to think about it, do I? The answer to that question has popped up without me even needing to think about it. If he wants me, he's gonna have to work at getting me back himself."

"That's good!" Selina replied.

"That's the whole reason why I went with you to the bar anyway," Sarah continued. "Just to see what was up with him."

"Really?" Selina questioned.

"Yes!" Sarah insisted. "And I don't know what's going on with Finn either. It's like I had two guys one day and now I've got no one. I should have seen that coming though, shouldn't? No one can handle two guys at once and have it end well."

"Nope," Selina shook her head. "Sooner or later, one of them complains and you have to make a choice." She paused. "But I thought you already made one. I thought you liked Finn."

"I do!" Sarah nodded. "And I was very sure about that until Finn ran off and I kissed Junior. Now I don't know _what_ I want to do with myself." She paused. "Do you think it would make a difference if I called Junior and I told him that I saw him with that girl?" She asked.

"Well, it depends," Selina replied. "What sort of reaction are you hoping to get from making a call like that? Do you want to try and shame him into coming back to you?"

"Of course not!" Sarah cried. "I have my pride! I know I deserve better than to be with someone who has to be shamed into being with me. I just…I want him to know that I see he's moving on, and good for him, and that I hope he has a nice life. Then how he reacts to hearing that is up to him."

"That's very mature," Selina complimented her. "Good for you."

"Thank you," Sarah replied. "'Mature' was what I was going for."

* * *

Just like Sarah was working hard to convince herself that moving on from Junior was the best thing, he was doing the same with her, although his parents weren't as pleased with him, because his new girlfriend wasn't the sort they wanted for him.

Her name was Frances "Frenchie" Campbell, she had dark hair and dark eyes, and she was part of a motorcycle gang whose members were fond of Roxie's bar. She and Junior didn't like each other in a romantic way, but after a few conversations over beer, they discovered that they both had people in their lives that they wanted to make believe that they'd moved on from: Junior's being Sarah and Frenchie's being her ex Ernie. Things had ended badly between them after she'd caught him making out with another woman and then cut him so badly with a bottle during an ensuing bar fight that he had to be taken to the hospital in an ambulance. She still loved him though, in the best way she could, even though she'd never admit it to his face. So this was the plan: She would get him to admit his feelings to _her_ once he was filled with jealousy after seeing her and Junior together.

To make it convincing, they let themselves be seen together at the bar, and other places too, although Junior knew that it would be a bad idea to bring her home to his parents because that would invite a bunch of questions that he didn't feel like answering, especially since his and Frenchie's relationship was just a ruse. His parents just knew that he was out every night with a special girl (who wasn't Sarah) and that was it.

"I have to say that I'm very proud of you for how you've handled this whole Sarah situation," Liam complimented him. "Not that I thought you'd be the type to pine over a loss or anything like that, but you really had your eye on her for a while."

"Well, Dad, there comes a time in every man's life when he has to realize that he's in a situation that won't get better, cut his losses, and quit, and that's what I've done with Sarah," Junior replied. "It was hard, but I'm glad I did it."

"I am too," Liam told him. "Cause it doesn't do any good to dwell on things that don't work. It just doesn't."

Junior went to his parents' room then and rifled under their bed where the old photo albums were kept. He found one with a label on it that said the photos inside were from when he was around two or three years old. He rifled through them and found one of him, his mother, Sarah, and Victoria at their house and they were just sitting close together and looking like they were having the time of their lives. There were other photos in the album of them too, but they also had Finn and Molly in them, and they were not who Junior needed to see right now. He took that photo of himself and Sarah and went to put it under his pillow because it was the closest thing he had at the moment to them actually being together until his pride would let him see Sarah face to face.

* * *

Finn was packing his bags when Daisy came in (as was her custom in the morning) to give him a less than cordial 'Hello'.

"Daddy says you have to be on your way," she told him. "The dogs are starting to get used to you and that means it's time for you to get out."

"What a shame," Finn sighed. "I thought your father was beginning to like me."

"Well, he says that for a vagrant who just showed up out of nowhere and moved into his house without his permission, you're not bad, but that doesn't mean he wants you as a permanent house guest," Daisy informed him. "So…looks like I'll be telling him he doesn't need to worry."

Finn turned and she started. "Who…who the hell are you?" She asked in amazement, trying not to stare for too long. It was then that Finn remembered he'd changed back to his regular appearance. "Oh, this?" He said and looked in the mirror again. "It's me. This is what I really look like. I was under witness protection before. My father is a dangerous criminal and they didn't want him coming after me and trying to kill me."

"That's your story?" Daisy asked. "You couldn't come up with something less cliché?"

"Well, it may be a cliché, but in my case, it's somewhat true. I'll be getting out of your hair now. I need to get home to a girl who's much more attractive and pleasant than you are."

"Fine then," Daisy told him. "And it doesn't matter to me if I ever see you again!"

"Oh, sweetheart," Finn told her, "don't worry. I feel exactly the same way. But…just so I have something to remember you by…" He grabbed her and pushed her hair off her neck. "How about a little snack for the road, hmmm…?"

"Does it matter if I say 'No'?" Daisy asked.

"Ordinarily, I would say 'No', but I want to leave you with a good impression of me since I'm on my way out, so what do you say?"

"Fine," Daisy told him after a moment. "But we're doing in it my room and you're not allowed to wear a shirt."

"All right," Finn nodded as he grabbed her hand. "That sounds fair."

After he'd taken his fill and Daisy demanded an extra-long look at his stomach for her trouble, he headed out, zapping his way back to his parents' house, where he gave them quick hugs and then told them he had to run off to Sarah's and tell her that he'd finally come back.

"Now just a minute!" Victoria chided. "You just got here. I don't want you leaving again so soon. If you want Sarah to know, you can call her and tell her."

"That's my only option?" Finn asked irritably. "Molly can run off and live with Uncle Adrian and I have to stay here?"

"Because we know exactly where Molly is!" Kai pointed out. "Where were you all this time?"

"I took up residence at the home of a very nice rich family who lives in one of those big houses by the park," Finn told them. "Their older daughter was kind of a jerk to me at first, but I think I won her over in the end."

"You were careful about your powers, weren't you?" Victoria fretted. "You know what we've always told you about being careful with your powers around strangers."

"It was okay," Finn assured her. "They're a magical family. I didn't freak them out."

"Good," Victoria let out a relieved breath. "That's one less thing I have to worry about."

"What your mother means is that we're glad to have you home," Kai interpreted. "Have you eaten today? Can I get you something from the kitchen?"

"I'm gonna go call Sarah first, and then I'll eat," Finn promised. "Okay?"

"Wow," he must really like her," Kai told Victoria. "I don't know if I'd pick _anyone_ first over food."

"What about me?" Victoria asked, her jaw dropping as she huffed in indignation.

"Well, of course you," Kai backpedaled. "I mean anything or anyone _other_ than you."

"Yes," Victoria nodded and rolled her eyes. This was typical Kai behavior. "I'm sure you do."

* * *

"Thanks for letting me come to your book club," Sarah told Selina later that day. "Are you sure your mother won't mind having me here?"

"Oh, she won't mind at all," Selina assured her. "Now, we're a few chapters into the book, so what do you want to do? Have a copy of your own and talk with us, or do you just want to listen to us go on about it for a while?"

"I'll just listen," Sarah told her. "I don't want to throw you two off."

And she was glad she did because the book itself really spoke to her.

"I don't mean to interrupt," she said after Amelia had asked Selina what she thought of the quote 'If a woman is partial to a man, and does not endeavor to conceal it, he must find out'. "But can I say something about what I think that means? I don't think I have to know the whole chapter to have an opinion on that."

"No," Amelia shook her head. "I don't think so either. What do you have to say?"

Sarah sighed. "I really hate that it's true. And that the opposite is true: That if you do the best you can to hide your feelings, the guy will still find out anyway and lord it over you." She scoffed. "I hate that. It just…it really makes what I have going on now hard."

"What?" Selina asked. "Pretending that you like Finn romantically because you aren't ready to admit your feelings about Junior?"

"Exactly!" Sarah nodded. "Can't he just let me live in my own fantasy world for a bit before he pushes me to admit all sorts of things that I _swear_ I'll admit eventually? Why does he have to push so hard?"

"Well, I don't think it's wrong for him to want an answer," Amelia replied. "If you know you want him, go ahead and say it. Because good opinion, once lost, is lost forever."

"Is that a quote from the book, or are you saying it?" Sarah questioned.

"I wish I could take credit for it, but I can't," Amelia told her. "It's from the book."

Sarah snatched the book away from her and used her magic to be able to read it at a much faster pace than either Selina or Amelia had.

"There you go," she said and zapped up a piece of paper to write something down.

"What are you writing?" Selina wanted to know.

"The quote that will make me feel better about this," Sarah told her. "' You were disgusted with the women who were always speaking and looking, and thinking for your approbation alone. I roused, and interested you, because I was so unlike them'." She chuckled. "That's it. That explains everything. Even if Junior _is_ dating that girl from Roxie's, it's not gonna last. Cause he loves _me_ , and though he's mad at me now because I'm not giving him what he wants, it's that exact thing that will bring him back: I'm gonna be the challenge for him when no one else is." She grinned widely. "Thank you for letting me have a look at this book. I have to run home now."

"All right," Selina told her sister. "I'm glad we could help." She watched her sister run out the door and then once she was out of the house, Sarah got in her car and called Finn back to tell him how glad she was to hear from him and that she hoped he would come see her soon.


	21. Taking What You Want

"I know about you and that cheap brunette you came out of Roxie's with," Sarah told Junior. "Who is she? What do you have to say for yourself?"

"Oh, don't you talk to me like that," Junior snapped. "Who I choose to socialize with after I gave you my heart and you crushed it under your heel is none of your damn business." He paused. "Unless it will actually change your mind about me for good if I tell you."

"No," Sarah scoffed. "It won't."

"Fine, you're not hearing a damn thing," Junior told her. "Even though that's what you called for. I don't feel shame, I feel liberation that I'm finally moving on with my life."

"And yet, if I told you that I wanted to be with you, you'd drop this Frenchie like a hot potato," Sarah said. "Isn't that right?"

"Yes," Junior nodded. "I'm with Frenchie because _you_ won't be with me. I still like you more than I can say and I don't know why it's such a problem for you to admit that too. Are you still freaked out about me going evil? Is that why?"

"No!" Sarah shook her head. "I just…I just…I don't have to explain anything to you! Stop trying to push me into this!"

"Fine," Junior huffed. "Whatever."

Sarah slammed the phone down then, letting out an exasperated growl before she stomped around on the floor and made so much noise that her father came into her room to check on her.

"Sarah, are you okay?" He asked.

"No," Sarah shook her head and sat down on her bed. "I'm just…I'm really frustrated right now."

"You are? I'm sorry," Matthew said. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"No," Sarah shook her head. "It's just…I love Junior and I want to tell him but there's just something in me that won't let that happen. It's tearing us apart! He's dating a stupid girl who isn't me!"

"What do you think is holding you back?" Matthew wanted to know.

"I have no idea!" Sarah shrugged. "If I did, it would have been fixed a long time ago!" She sighed and stood up. "You know what? Just…what the hell. I'm gonna go for it. I don't care if it feels weird or whatever. I'm going after Junior."

"But what about the other girl he's with?" Matthew asked. "What happened to just letting him go if that's what he wants?"

"He told me that if I could honestly and truly tell him that I wanted to be with him and he could see I was sincere, he would dump her and we could start our life together," Sarah said. "That's the honest truth."

"All right, if that's what you say, I won't contradict you," Matthew sighed. He wasn't sure about this, though. "Good luck."

"Thank you!" Sarah smiled. Then, after getting on her nicest blue dress, she zapped herself to Roxie's.

* * *

"Have you seen Junior around here anywhere?" Sarah asked Roxie as she strode up to the bar. "I thought he would be here."

"Oh, he is," Roxie nodded. "He's got that girlfriend of his laid out on the pool table and they're making out in a way that's making people uncomfortable. I'm thinking of telling them to take it outside soon." She paused. "Unless the sight of you will make him stop. Do you think it will?"

"I don't know," Sarah replied, narrowing her eyes. "But I'm more than willing to give it a shot."

"There's twenty bucks in it for you if you do it," Roxie told her.

Sarah nodded and strode determinedly into the empty pool room, where it wasn't hard to spot what Roxie was talking about. Junior did indeed have his girlfriend laid out across the pool table and they were kissing in a way that looked as if they were eating each other's faces. Sarah stepped up behind them and loudly cleared her throat. "Excuse me," She said. "Do you mind?"

When they didn't separate, Sarah zapped up an umbrella, and began hitting Junior on the head with it. "Come on!" She cried. "You're in public, have a little decency! Don't make me get a hose!"

 _That_ got Junior's attention. "All right," he said and let the girl go. "I suppose I could take a break." He then lit a cigarette that he pulled from his jeans pocket and exhaled a plume of smoke. "All right, Sarah. What do you want?"

"I wanna know what the hell you think you're doing!" Sarah cried, putting her hands on her hips and casting a glare at Frenchie. "I want to know why you're wasting your time sticking your tongue in… _that_ when it's probably full of germs. You don't know where she's been."

"Oh, but he does!" Frenchie replied with a smirk. "Cause he's been with me and loved every minute of it."

Sarah gave her a push then that landed her on her butt on the floor. "You mean nothing to him!" She spat. "He's just putting up with you to try and make me jealous!"

"And is it working?" Junior smirked and strode toward her. "Cause it looks like it's working."

"Maybe," Sarah nodded as Frenchie got to her feet and began pulling at Sarah's hair. "And now you're gonna hold it over my head forever, aren't you? I don't want to hear that, so now that I've told you what I need to tell you, I'm gonna go." She elbowed Frenchie in the gut then and started to run away before Frenchie got to her feet, grabbed Sarah's arm, threw her to the ground, and pinned her there. "All right," she told Junior. "Say what you need to say. She's not going anywhere."

"All right," he said, getting down on his knees next to Sarah so they were eye to eye.. "I'm not gonna let you do this anymore. You're not gonna keep telling me you love me and then running off. If you want me, you have to be around to take me."

"Why is it that I have to take you?" Sarah asked, looking him square in the eye. "Why can't you just take _me_?"

"I will," Junior said and pulled her tight against him after he called Frenchie off her and let her get to her feet. "I'm not holding back anymore." He kissed her then and when they pulled away, Sarah's eyes were wide. "Wow," she said. "That…that's good. I like it."

"Of course you do!" Junior told her. "I liked it too. We could have been doing it a lot sooner if you'd just been honest with yourself."

"Yeah, I know," Sarah nodded. "I know." She took his hand and kissed the palm. "So…so what do we do now? What about your girlfriend?"

"She's not really my girlfriend," Junior replied. "She has her eye on another guy. Just let me tell her goodbye and then we can go to my house."

"Really?" Sarah asked. "Are your parents home?"

"I think they are, but I'm sure they wouldn't mind if we came by," Junior replied. "You wouldn't be embarrassed to let them see us being affectionate with each other, would you?"

"N-no," Sarah shook her head. "Just as long as you put a spell on the door so that they can't hear us. That would be embarrassing."

"And what would we do that would be so loud that it would be embarrassing for my parents to hear?" Junior asked. "Tell me, cause I really have no idea."

Sarah shut her eyes tight and said, "If we're having sex when we get to your parents' house, I want you to put a spell on the bedroom door so your parents don't hear, okay?" She then went beet red."

"See?" Junior smiled and gave her a hug. "That wasn't so hard to admit, was it?" He went to say goodbye to Frenchie (and give her a wink) before he took Sarah out to the bar parking lot and stood her in front of his new motorcycle. "All right," he said. "Get on."

"When did you get this?" She asked and gently ran her fingers over the leather covered bike seat. "Was it Frenchie's idea?"

"Yeah," Junior nodded. "It was."

"Are you sure you know how to drive this?" She asked. "I don't want to crash and die."

"I know how," he assured her as she put her leg over it, strapped on the helmet, and held onto him for dear life. "You won't die, I promise."

* * *

When they arrived at Junior's house and went inside, the first thing they saw was Liam and Mary watching TV on the living room sofa, a bowl of popcorn between them.

"Well, look at you two!" Liam remarked. "Are you kids finally together?"

"I'd say we are," Junior nodded. "At least until Sarah changes her mind again."

"I won't do it," Sarah told him. "Not if it means I'll have to watch you making out with women like Frenchie all the time."

"You guys want some popcorn?" Liam asked.

"Nah thanks," Junior shook his head. "We're gonna spend some time in my room."

"Don't worry though Liam, Mary," Sarah assured them. "There won't be any funny business."

"Yes there will," Junior told them. "There'll be a lot and we probably won't be coming out for the rest of the night. But don't worry; we'll put a spell on the door so you don't have to hear us!" He then pulled Sarah along after him as Mary and Liam gave each other a long look.

"What do you think of this?" Mary asked.

"I'm proud of my boy," Liam smiled. "Good for him."

"I knew you'd say that," Mary replied. "I just hope they're using protection."

"I bet they are," Liam assured her. "Junior's not an idiot."

* * *

And Liam was right about this. Although Junior had been waiting a long time for this moment, he was smart enough not to rush it, especially after Sarah made her first request.

"I know you're excited for this to happen, and don't worry, I want it too, but…be gentle with me, please. I'm not skilled at this like you are. It's my first time, and I don't want to be hurt."

"Of course I wouldn't hurt you, baby," he said and kissed her forehead gently. "But what makes you think I know anything about this? I could be just as new at it as you."

"But what about you and Frenchie?" Sarah asked in amazement. "Surely you and she…?" She blushed as she made a vague fiddling motion with her hands."

"No, no," Junior said and hugged her. "All we did was kiss. You're my first. That's how I always wanted it to be. And I'll follow your lead. I'll be as gentle or as wild as you want me to be."

"All right," Sarah nodded as they began to undress. "Did you put the spell on the door?"

"Oh, right," Junior said and went to do it. "All right, there. My parents won't hear a thing."

And it was good too because although things started out gentle, soon they'd abandoned the gentleness and were going at it with all the enthusiasm they could muster, and Sean was thankful that his parents didn't have a room anywhere near his because the noise would have kept them up all night.

A big part of it was Junior spanking her for all the times she'd toyed with his emotions and affections. He apparently had more resentment built up than he realized because she still couldn't sit the next morning and had to eat her cereal and waffles standing up, which was an embarrassing thing to have to explain to his parents.

* * *

It was even worse when, at Junior's gleeful insistence, they went to welcome Finn back after he'd been away for so long.

"We don't have to do this," she told Junior, "I've already seen him and the only reason why you want to is to rub what we did last night in his face."

"No, not really," Junior told her. "Part of our being a couple is that you have to tell Finn about it. It has nothing to do with me being petty or spiteful or rubbing anything in his face."

"Good point," she said. "I guess you're right." And she meant to get it out of the way when he reached the table, but Junior beat her to it when Finn offered her a chair to sit in and she had to decline.

"Why?" Finn asked, looking at her with concern. "What's the matter? Why can't you sit?"

"Cause of me, that's why!" Junior cried, smiling gleefully. "She spent a lot of time in my bed last night. _A lot_ of time."

"Well, good for you two," Finn said, laughing uncomfortably. "So glad you're together now. I have someone else in my life too. You'll have to meet her some time."

"How nice," Sarah said. "We can do that. I don't mind."

"Yeah," Junior smiled. "I can't wait."


	22. Facing The Father

"Well, well, well…" Finn said as he came up to his locker at school and found Daisy next door, sticking her stuff in hers. "Look whose locker is next to mine."

"It didn't start out that way," Daisy narrowed her eyes at him. "I was moved! Did you have something to do with that?"

"Oh, please!" Finn scoffed. "Do you honestly think I would choose to spend more time with you than I have to? This was _not_ my doing I can assure you that!"

Daisy then slammed her locker door shut and then marched to the principal's office to demand she be moved to a locker that was nowhere near Finn's.

"And why should we do that?" The principal asked. "There are many students in this school who need lockers so we can't just go around moving people at will."

"Why not, you did before!" Daisy cried. "I didn't start the year out next to him!"

"Well, we have more students coming in then we thought and we had to rearrange things," The principal explained. "Any more people come and we might even have to put two people to a locker."

Daisy and Finn looked at one another with intense dislike. "No," They said at the same time, then turned on their heels and pushed one another out the principal's office door.

* * *

The day continued to go downhill for the pair when they discovered they would have to be paired up for a project in Amelia's lit class.

"I can't believe this," Daisy grumbled. "The _last_ thing I want to do is work with you!"

"And you think I feel differently?" Finn asked. "We have to share a grade, which means that you're gonna get top marks for doing nothing cause you're gonna make me do all the work!"

"That's not true, so stop your whining," Daisy told him and then led him to a corner where no one would hear what she said next. "My father has a man whom he pays to do all my work for me. Clarissa's too. We'll get good grades _and_ we won't have to spend any time together. It's a win-win situation for everyone!"

"You may be okay with that kind of dishonesty, but I'm not," Finn told her. "If that's the alternative, I'd _rather_ do all the work myself."

"Fine, whatever," Daisy shrugged. "If you want to take the moral route, that's your own affair, but don't expect me to think the same way."

"Fine," Finn told her. "Whatever. But if Ms. Lockwood gets suspicious and asks if one of us did more work than the other, I'm gonna sell you out."

"Whatever," Daisy told him, her mouth twisting. "I can handle it. It's not like I haven't before."

Finn just stared at her, dumbstruck by her attitude, and then started as the final bell rang and he had to speed to his next class before his teacher noticed and counted him absent.

* * *

"So…who do you think that girl with Finn is?" Junior asked as he put his arm around Sarah at lunch and took a handful of potato chips out of the bag they were sharing. Finn and Daisy had just come in and everyone was enjoying their antics.

"I have no idea," Sarah shrugged, keeping her eyes on the pair. "I've never seen her before."

"Well, she looks like a piece of work," Junior remarked with a chuckle as he watched Daisy hit Finn with her purse. "That's good for him. He needs a challenge."

"I don't necessarily think it's healthy for him to be in a relationship with someone who beats the crap out of him!" Sarah remarked.

"Says the girl who hit me repeatedly over the head with an umbrella," Junior reminded her. "That really hurt!"

"I had a good reason!" Sarah defended herself.

"Yeah," Junior grinned. "You were _really_ jealous, weren't you?"

"Uh-huh," she said and kissed him. " _And_ pissed that you were defiling a perfectly good pool table. Did you finish the chips?"

"No," Junior looked in the bag. "There are still a few more in there."

So Sarah finished up the bag and went to throw it away before coming back to the table and taking her place in Junior's embrace again.

"Hey," he whispered in her ear. "Wanna come back to my house and spend some more time in my bedroom? I had a talk with my parents about it and they say that as long as we use protection and keep the spell on the door so they don't have to hear what we're doing, we can have our time there."

"That's very generous of them," Sarah told him. "But I…I don't think we should do it again yet."

"Why?" Junior asked. "You're not messing with me again, are you? We've come so far. Don't pull back now."

"No, it's not that!" Sarah shook her head earnestly. "I promise. It's that my dad doesn't know what we did, and I don't want to make it a habit without telling him first. I love my father and I don't like keeping secrets from him. I want him to trust me."

"You mean, your dad with a gun who shot at your birth father when he thought he was gonna take you away from him forever?" Junior wanted to know. "Call me crazy, but I don't want to get shot! Can't we just compromise by telling your mom and then have _her_ tell your dad?"

"That's cowardly," Sarah replied. "He won't respect you unless you're brave enough to tell him in person. So let's just get it over with and tell him after school today, all right?"

"It's all well and good for you to be so calm when _you're_ not the one he's gonna be mad at," Junior told her.

"He might not try and shoot me, but you know what I'm gonna have to listen to that's just as bad?" Sarah countered. "The sad and betrayed look that's gonna be on his face before he goes on and on about how his little girl has been ruined and is probably gonna never find a husband cause she's become loose and is completely lacking any sort of moral fiber and where the hell did he go wrong that I would do something like this to him?"

Junior chuckled a little at how absurd it all sounded. "Would he _really_ do that?" He asked. "Like, seriously?"

"Yes," Sarah said immediately. "Wait." She sat up straighter, a relieved look in her dark eyes. "Maybe if we got engaged and he knew we'd marry eventually, it would soften the blow."

"But we're too young to get married!" Junior cried. "I'm not ready! And do you know how much danger it would put you in if my crazy birth father knew we were that close? I mean, The Phoenix knocked you out cold to get to Finn. He'd probably _kill_ you if he knew you were standing the way of him getting to me."

"Well, don't we just have a high opinion of ourselves?" Sarah asked, her eyes narrowed. "We wouldn't _actually_ be getting engaged. It would just be a show to satisfy my father's old-fashioned sensibilities about marriage."

"Ah," Junior nodded. "Well, all right then. But wouldn't that still be lying to him? Did your sister tell you to do this?"

"No, but she was engaged and not married the first time _she_ had sex and Daddy's never given her any trouble so I figure it wouldn't hurt for us to go that route, right?"

"All right," Junior sighed. "Like you say, it's best to get it over with so that it's not a looming cloud over everything. We'll meet after school, zap ourselves to your parents' house, and confess all."

* * *

Despite their confidence, when they both ended up in Selina's cooking class, they thought it wouldn't hurt to tell her their concerns so she'd know what was going on and maybe give them some advice about how to handle it all with the least amount of bloodshed.

"That _is_ a conundrum," Selina nodded as the three of them sat in the empty classroom and ate leftover mini pizzas. "You weren't stupid enough to have your first time be under Daddy's roof, right?"

"Of course not!" Sarah shook her head. "What do you think I am, an idiot?"

"Well, I would hope not, which is why I asked," Selina replied.

"No, we did it in _my_ room," Junior informed her, while trying not to think that it was his great-grandmother he was telling. "And my parents are okay with it as long as we use protection and they don't have to hear what we're doing."

"Do you think I'm being stupid for wanting to tell him?" Sarah continued. "I want to be honest, but is it just gonna be more trouble than it's worth?"

"No," Selina replied. "You tell him and you tell him as soon as possible because the thing about fathers of Daddy's time is that they can sense these sorts of shenanigans, and if they find out that you lied to them and are doing stuff behind their backs, they make you live to regret it. That's the _one_ silver lining about how I grew up: Everyone that raised me was so wrapped up in their own lives that no one really gave a crap about what I did." She chuckled. "And it does strike fear in the hearts of men. Elijah still gets freaked out thinking about Dad's reaction if he finds out we have sex, and we've been married for _years."_

"Great," Junior sighed. "Just wonderful. _Now_ I feel better."

"Why don't I come with you if you're gonna see him after school today?" Selina offered. "I took bullets for Malachai and I'll take them for you."

"All right," Junior nodded. "Great. We need all the help we can get."

"Good," Selina told him. "I'll tell Elijah, and then you both can meet me at my car and we'll get this over with, all right?"

"Sounds good to me," Sarah replied. "Thank you for your help with this. You've been helping me a lot lately."

"Don't worry about it," Selina told her. "It's my pleasure."

* * *

"You know, we don't really have to go in," Sarah got out as Selina pulled into Matthew and Christine's driveway. "We can wait and do this tomorrow."

"That won't do any good," Selina shook her head. "It'll still be hanging over your head the longer you put it off. So let's go in and get it off our chests, okay? Junior, you come too."

"All right," Junior huffed. He'd been hoping to just stay in the car and wait this out since it had more to do with Sarah than it did with him, but apparently that was _not_ going to happen.

They went up to the front step and Sarah got in with her key. She then let out a groan when the first person she saw was Matthew.

"Well, it's nice to see you too," he said with good humor. "Did you have a good day at school?"

"Yes," Sarah nodded. "And don't take that groan I did personally. I just thought I would have more time to prepare before you showed up."

"Prepare for what?" Matthew asked, looking concerned.

"Daddy, what we're going to tell you is something that you might not be happy to hear," Selina said. "But give Sarah credit for being upfront with you about it instead of lying and carrying on behind your back."

"All right, what the hell is going on?" Matthew asked. "Sarah Selina, what could possibly be going on with you that you would be scared to talk to me about?"

"Junior and I had sex at his house the other night," Sarah just blurted out. "But we used protection, I promise."

"Wow, bluntness," Selina nodded and gripped her sister's hand tight. "Good tactic."

The room lapsed into silence then as Matthew looked from Junior to Sarah and back again. "You…you _what_?" He got out.

"They had sex," Selina repeated. "You know, that thing you do when you love someone and…"

"Yes, thank you, Selina Amelia Elizabeth," Matthew interrupted tersely. "I know what that is. I don't need to have it explained to me." He turned his attention back to Sarah. "What in the world would make you do something like this?"

She shrugged. "I have needs and I guess I'm a person with no willpower."

"Well, how do you expect to get married if people find out about this?" Matthew huffed. "At least Selina waited until she was engaged before she let a man defile her."

"Oh, my god!" Selina cried. "Daddy, will you _stop_? Do you know how much courage it took for her to come and be honest with you like this? It would have been a hell of a lot easier for her to just keep you in the dark and sneak around behind your back, but she didn't because she loves you and wants to have a relationship with you that's based on trust. And she doesn't want to just throw you away because she has a boyfriend now. Give her credit for that!"

"I blame _you_ for this," He told Junior. "What gives you the right to corrupt my daughter like this?"

"I didn't _corrupt_ her," Junior said, his eyes on Matthew as he got to his feet. "What we did was a mutual decision between the two of us. If she'd told me that she didn't want to, I wouldn't have done it, but she did, so we went ahead with it. I respect your daughter enough to listen to her wants and needs and not presume to tell her how to live her life. Don't you think you should do the same?"

"No, no, no!" Selina mouthed, wildly shaking her head. "Too far! Too far!"

"I see I'm on the wrong side of all this," Matthew said dramatically after a silence that seemed to last forever. "What's done is done and can't be changed so…I guess I have to accept it. It grieves me, but I have no other choice, do I?"

"If it makes you feel any better, you can take me out back and shoot me," Junior offered. "I won't even try to run away."

"What good would that do?" Matthew asked. "It's not like it would kill you for good. There's no point!" He paused. "I want you to marry my daughter."

"Oh, I plan on it," Junior told him earnestly. "Just not now. I want to wait until I have a job and stuff, and our relatives are at a place where _my_ birth father and _her_ birth father don't want to kill each other or use us to kill them."

There was another one of those long silences, then Matthew let out a long sigh and got to his feet, his deep green eyes full of sorrow. "If Christine calls or comes home and wants to know where I am, I'm going to be with your Uncle Andrew," he told Selina. "He has alcohol and I need it." He looked at Sarah. "All I want is for you to be with a man who will do right by you. I wasn't able to make sure of that with your sister and I don't want to make the mistake again now that I have the chance. I'm gonna leave you alone now to do what you will, but please just be sure that you're doing the right thing. I've already watched more women than I'd like in my life be hurt because they chose the wrong man. I don't want to add you to the list."

"Don't worry," Sarah said and gave him a hug. "You won't have to. I promise."

When he left and the door slammed shut, Selina, Junior, and Sarah jumped around and hugged each other.

"That went much better than expected," Selina got out. "He didn't even bring out his gun!"

"I was mad at him at first, but toward the end, I felt sorry for him," Sarah added. "Was he serious about seeing all those women be hurt?"

"Yeah," Selina nodded. "My mother's taste in men when she couldn't be with my Uncle Andrew was not a good one. Not a good one at all. And Granddaddy Warren was bad tempered toward Granny Elizabeth sometimes…or so I've heard. I don't think he ever hit her or anything, but you couldn't say Daddy grew up in a completely warm and loving home."

"Poor guy," Sarah sighed and felt something rise in her throat. "No wonder he's worried."

"But we'll show him that he doesn't need to be," Junior assured her as he kissed her hair. "I promise."

* * *

Because of his fire issues, Helene and Malachai decided to keep William home, at least for a little bit, while they figured out how he could go to school without endangering anyone, something that Lucy was against.

"I understand your parents' concerns," she said as she drove him to her and Damon's house. "But I think isolating you is a bad idea. It'll just make you feel more singled out than usual."

"I don't really mind," William said as he reached over and put a hand on her thigh. "It means I get to spend more time with you."

"Damon might be home, so no matter what he says or does, I want you to try and be nice to him, all right?" Lucy requested as she fluffed up her short blonde hair in the rear view mirror.

"All right," William rolled his eyes. "For you, I'll try."

And he did, but when Damon's arrival led to a shouting match between them where William heard Damon accuse Lucy of being faithless and sneaking around behind his back, that was the last straw. William came in and hit him so hard that he fell to the floor, unconscious, then picked Lucy up and carried her to her car.

"Stay here," he warned her. "No matter what you see, stay there."

"What?" She asked in a dazed voice. "William, don't!" But it was too late. Soon, the house was set ablaze with Damon still inside and William was beside her, urging her to start the car so they could leave.

"It's not gonna be a real loss to the world," he told her impatiently. "Let's just go!"

"I can't," Lucy shook her head. "And I really don't appreciate you behaving like this." She then zoomed into the house and pushed her way through the flames and smoke to find Damon in the living room. He was covered in soot and struggling to breathe, but thankfully, the flames hadn't consumed him. "Come on," she urged as she helped him stand up. "We have to get you out of here!"

"All right," Damon nodded and coughed again. He tried to be more of a help to her, but she basically had to get him on his feet all by herself. She put her arm around him and slowly but surely, they got him out of the burning house.

William groaned when he saw, especially when she got Damon into his car and flew past him. She was driving Damon to the boarding house. Since William didn't know where that was and was apparently too stunned to follow them, it would probably be the safest place for him.

"Don't take this the wrong way," Damon said hoarsely from the backseat. "But after all this, I don't think it would be out of line for me to put forth the idea of us breaking up. Do you?"

"No," Lucy shook her head. "If you want to stay alive, I think it's a very prudent idea."

"Not that I want to leave you at the mercy of Prince Charming and his fire power, but…" Damon continued. She quickly cut him off.

"Don't worry about me," she told him. "He won't hurt me. _You_ , on the other hand, are more vulnerable to him. But it's sweet you care, though."

They finally arrived at the boarding house where they were met at the door by a very disgruntled (and partially clad) Stefan and Samantha. "What the hell happened here?" Stefan asked as they helped Lucy bring Damon in.

"You know how you always used to joke that my habits with women would get me in trouble some day?" Damon told his brother.

"Yeah," Stefan nodded. "So you finally messed around with the wrong guy's girlfriend, hmmm? Not a very promising beginning to a life without Lucy."

"It wasn't him, actually," Lucy told Stefan. "At least not like that. William, a guy who's an…art student of mine, spends a lot of time at our house and Damon thought it was a bit too much time, and they got in a fight, which led to William setting the house on fire with Damon inside. He's a warlock, you know, and this is the one place I could think of where he wouldn't follow to finish what he started. Would you two keep an eye on him for me?"

"Sure," Stefan nodded. "It's not like I've never done that before."

"Thanks," Lucy said and headed out, leaving Samantha, Stefan, and Damon to stare awkwardly at one another.

"You can take care of yourself, right?" Samantha said at last. "Cause Stefan and I are sort of in the middle of something."

"Oh, yes," Damon nodded. "Please, continue. Don't let me interrupt more than I already have."

"Thank you," Samantha said succinctly. She took Stefan back to their room and after shutting the door, said, "See, I told you that it wasn't Rocky at the door. Why are you still so jealous about my old boyfriend?"

"Because," Stefan said, taking a note out of his pocket and uncrumpling it before handing it to her. "I think he's still interested. Have a look for yourself."

"Fine," Samantha told him as she read it over and then threw it in the trash. "But you sure know how to ruin a good time. Did you know that?"


	23. A More Solvable Problem

"I don't know why everyone is so worried," William huffed as he watched Lucy end another call from her uncle Elijah. "I like you, so it's not like I'll kill you or anything."

"True," Lucy nodded. "But you _did_ set my house on fire, try and kill my ex, and then kidnap me, so that sets off some alarm bells. Why don't you call your parents and explain what's going on, hmmm?"

"Why bother?" William sighed. "They're so busy with other things that they won't have time to talk to me."

"Well, this is something that's important, so I'm sure they'd _make_ time," Lucy insisted as she put a calming hand on his shoulder.

"They're gonna yell at me if I call them," William added, pushing some of his dark hair out of his eyes. "They're gonna tell me that I did something really bad and I should be ashamed."

"Kidnapping is something that is usually frowned upon, so I don't blame them for at least mentioning it," Lucy sighed, sitting down next to him and taking his hand.

"Oh, but you don't really think you're in any sort of danger, do you?" William wanted to know as he looked in her eyes. "Cause you're not."

"I-I know that," Lucy nodded. "But just to ease everyone else's minds, let's go home soon, all right? Or at least tell your grandparents that we've been hiding in their basement for so long. I'm surprised they haven't come down here and found us already."

It was then that they heard a cry and turned to see Astrid, who'd come down to grab some of her old Council notes that she'd hidden away once she'd been replaced. "Oh, my god," she breathed and advanced toward the sofa where Lucy and William were both sitting. "How long have the two of you been down here?"

"I don't know," Lucy shrugged. "But I know it's been more than a couple of days. Don't worry, though. We were just preparing to leave."

"No, you don't have to if you don't want to," Astrid told her quickly. "Now that I know where you are and can tell William's parents, it wouldn't do to have you run off again."

"Mom and Dad have been looking for me?" William asked in amazement. "Is it because they're worried about Lucy's safety, or because they miss me in their lives and want me at home?"

"Well, I'm sure it's both," Astrid assured him. "Your parents love you very much. I know it's hard to believe sometimes cause they're so busy and it seems like they don't have time for you, but they do."

"I know," William sighed. "I do." He paused. "All right. You can call them and say where I am. But also say that I want to come home on my own. I don't want to be retrieved like a child or a criminal."

"All right," Astrid nodded. "I'll be sure to let them know that. Until then though, stay here. Don't go anywhere else."

"Sure," William nodded at his grandmother. "That won't be a problem for me."

Astrid went upstairs then and William looked at Lucy. "Well, now that we're gonna have some time to ourselves and we can't go anywhere, what do you think we should do?" He reached out and stroked her arm with his fingers. "I have an idea or two if you can't think of anything."

"Not sex," Lucy said quickly. "We don't know each other well enough yet."

"That's not what I was thinking, but how can you say we don't know each other well enough?" William countered. "We've been stuck alone together in my grandparents' basement for several days with no one to talk to _but_ each other."

"All right, that was a flimsy excuse," Lucy conceded as William reached out to push away some hair that had fallen into her eyes. "But the sentiment still stands. I just got out of a relationship and I don't want to jump into another one so quickly."

"Fine," William nodded, his dark eyes gazing into her blue ones without blinking. "All I was thinking was that you could paint me."

" _Paint_ you?" Lucy repeated, a little surprised, even though, based on the fact that a lot of their outings had had to do with art and he was very aware of her painting prowess, it wasn't a request made just out of the blue, something William quickly pointed out.

"Why did you say that like I asked you to eat a live octopus or something?" He asked. "We do so much with painting that I should think it would be a natural request by now."

"Right," Lucy smiled. "You have a point." She looked around and then turned to face William again. "You wouldn't mind zapping me up an easel and some paints, would you? There don't seem to be any within reach."

"Sure," William replied easily and did just that.

"Great, thanks!" Lucy got behind the easel and said, "All right, get on the sofa and pose. Maybe looking at me with your chin on your hand? And smile, too. I think that would be nice."

"Oh, there'll be a smile in the picture," William assured her as he removed his sweater and began unbuttoning his pants.

"Wait a minute!" Lucy cried and ran around the easel. "What in the world are you doing?"

"I want you to paint me with a smile and only a smile," William told her, his dark eyes twinkling mischievously as he kicked his pants aside and pulled her to him. "Do you have a problem with that? I know you're not shy about painting naked people. I saw all those portraits of Damon you had in your studio. I can be just as good of an inspiration as he was."

"I'm sure you can," Lucy told him.

He kissed her deeply then and gave her a spank before giving her a gentle push back toward the easel. "Let's not waste any more time," he said. "We wouldn't want things to be awkward for my grandparents if they came down here again."

Lucy chuckled at that. "True," she said, picturing that exact situation in her head. "Although your Grandpa Alistair might not be as shocked as you think; he's spent a lot of time with my dad, so he's seen a lot of nutty things." She paused again. "Are you sure you wanna do this? The basement's kind of chilly and I don't want you to be cold."

"Oh, don't worry about that," William said as he waved her fear aside. "We can always warm up after. Now stop stalling. I'm giving you great material to work with. Use it!" He made a heroic pose with his hands on his hips that gave Lucy a very good view of everything.

"I have to admit," she remarked as she dipped her brush in the paint, "that you _are_ quite remarkable."

"Thank you," William smiled. He was totally naked and not ashamed at all. "I knew you would say that."

Lucy began painting, but the more she looked, the more her mind wandered, until, after several minutes, William came around to look and chuckled at the results. "That looks nothing like me," he remarked while he put an arm around her, as he didn't see a human figure, just a bunch of different colored streaks. "Am I _really_ that distracting?"

"Give me a break," Lucy told him with a deep blush and a small smile. "It was the first time I've ever seen you naked. I wasn't adequately prepared for all this," she waved her hand in the direction of his body.

"I understand," he said with a smirk and then headed back to the sofa.

"It's not entirely a bad thing," Lucy told him with a shrug. "I mean, I could probably pass it off as a visual representation of the effect of lust on the human mind. It wouldn't be wrong to."

"No," William shook his head. "It wouldn't. And you know I would be more than happy to help you deal with your…lust." He shut his eyes and let out a deep breath as Lucy tried to avert her gaze but couldn't help letting her eyes travel down his body. He really _was_ a magnificent physical specimen. Like _David_ , but a man of flesh and blood. And he was all hers. It really was too incredibly for her to comprehend if she was going to be entirely honest with herself.

* * *

"Well, look who came back!" Helene remarked a few days later when William showed up at the door with Lucy in tow. "I'm so glad you're safe. But please…try not to do anything like that again. It's a bad habit."

"I know, and I'm sorry," William apologized after he gave his mother a hug. "But Lucy was painting me and I didn't want to come back until she'd finished. And thanks for not storming Grandma and Grandpa's house to drag me back home."

Helene shrugged and smoothed a strand of dark hair. "We knew where you were and she told us that you wanted to come of your own accord, so I saw no reason to ignore that request." Then she turned her attention to Lucy. "Are you all right?" She asked. "Not hurt anywhere?"

"No," Lucy assured her. "I'm fine."

"Good," Helene said and just let the subject drop. She'd made her point and she was sure William understood it.

"Was that William I heard?" Malachai called. "Has he come back?"

"Yes!" Helene called back. "He was being painted and didn't want to return until it was finished."

"Wonderful," Malachai smiled as he strode into the room. "I can't wait to see it. Maybe we could hang it up in the living room so everyone could enjoy Lucy's wonderful work."

"Oh, I don't think you'd want to do that," William told his father as Lucy blushed again. "The subject matter is…private."

"Ah," Helene nodded. "Okay, I understand." Her phone rang then and when she answered it, she heard her mother's voice.

"William's on his way home now," Astrid told her. "I just thought I'd mention it so you don't worry."

"Thanks," Helene replied. "He's made it back safe. We're all good. You can go back to worrying about what to do regarding the Phoenix and Edele now."

"Oh, I don't want to do that," Astrid sighed. "I need more easily solvable problems like this one. Can you come up with some? Please?"

"Is it _really_ that bad?" Helene asked.

"I don't know," Astrid replied. "What's _in my head_ is certainly bad, but you know that the two of them are smart enough not to flaunt what they're doing in public, so one doesn't know for sure."

"I could have Malachai go check with Kai for you," Helene offered. "Edele is apparently spending a lot of time at his house now that she's changed sides."

"The poor boy," Astrid remarked about Kai. "I hope he'll come out of this okay after all his mother put him through."

"I think he will," Helene assured her. "I really do."

* * *

Fortunately for Kai, as Edele had promised, much of her focus was no longer on him, but on Finn and Molly. He just had to put up with her being in his house all the time, which was just as galling, but not as emotionally painful.

"So," she said to Finn. "Tell me about this Daisy girl you spend all your time with at school."

"I _don't_ spend all my time with her," Finn replied. "I try to avoid her as much as possible because she's so annoying. We have lockers next to each other so there's no way to avoid her then, but we don't have to see one another the rest of the day."

"What does she look like?" Edele went on. "Is she pretty?"

"Yeah," Finn admitted. "It's a shame such a pretty face was paired with such a rotten personality. Her sister's a bitch too."

"You know, you complain about her an awful lot for someone who claims to have no interest in her whatsoever," Kai remarked as he strode into the room, smiling when he saw how sore his mother was because he interrupted her time with Finn. "Could it be there's something about her you like?"

"Whose side are you on anyway?" Finn asked his father/brother.

"Well, you won't tell _me_ much about this Daisy so I have to take whatever I can get," Kai told him. "Incidentally, that's how things started between your mother and me. I hated her so much. She changed my mind, though, obviously."

"It's so sweet that you say you're coming around to me," Edele told him with a smile.

"When did I saw that?" Kai retorted. "I still dislike you as much as I always did."

"But you just said you liked me now," Edele told him. "I heard you. You said you liked Finn's mother."

"I meant Victoria," Kai spat. "She's the one that did all the work, so she's his mother. "You're just…an intruder. Someone who can't take a hint and leave good people alone!"

He stomped off then and Edele remarked, "Why do my conversations with him always end this way?"

"Why do you always play dumb when it comes to him?" Finn asked. "You have to know why he gets mad every time he looks at you. Or are you really that oblivious?"

"Don't tell me you've suddenly decided to turn against me," Edele remarked. "We were getting along so well!"

"Maybe, but he's right, though," Finn replied, standing up. "You can call yourself whatever you want. Hell, I'll even bond with you and John if it'll keep me alive. But I know who my mom and dad are and they're not you and John."

Meanwhile, Kai had shut himself up in his and Victoria's bedroom and was taking a call from his uncle. "Yes, Mom is here," he told Malachai. "She's _always_ here. She never fucking leaves!"

"I know it's annoying," Malachai replied sympathetically. "But if she's willing to play ball and go against the Phoenix, we have to take advantage of that. Ask her if she knows what John is up to so I can tell Astrid and relieve her mind."

Kai groaned. "Seriously, Uncle Malachai? Do I have to?"

"No, you don't _have_ to," Malachai told him. "But it would do a lot of people a lot of good if you did."

"Fine," Kai remarked. "This is what I get for being on the good side. Things were so much easier when I didn't give a damn about anyone else at all."

"I know," Malachai replied. "I know. Thanks for doing this."

"You're welcome," Kai said. "And you tell Astrid she owes me for this!" He ended the call and went back to Edele.

"Well, look at that," she said when she saw him again . "The prodigal son has returned. Did you come to apologize?"

"No," Kai shook his head. "I want you to tell me what John's up to. What evil thing is he gonna do next?"

"We might be safe for a while," she told him dryly. "Now it seems he's too busy fucking that new toy of his to do much of anything. But as for an actual plan, I know nothing. And even if I did, why would I tell you?"

"Cause I thought you were on the good side now," Kai told her.

"I am," Edele nodded. "But that doesn't mean I have to play nice with _everyone_. Especially if all they want to do is cause trouble for me."

"You really _are_ unbelievable, you know that?" Kai spat. Then, he got an idea. A few seconds later, Edele's eyes bugged out of her head as she began to choke.

"What are you doing?" Finn asked his father, whose hand was outstretched as he eyed Edele intensely. "You can't kill her! She could know things!"

"She said herself that she didn't know anything," Kai reminded him. "So what good is she? We should just get rid of her." He chuckled as he watched the woman who had abused him so much turn blue and flail about wildly. This went on for a little bit longer until his concentration was broken by the sound of Victoria's voice.

"Having fun?" She asked brightly.

He turned and pouted. "I _was_ until you distracted me. She's gonna live now."

"You _know_ the Council would be upset with you if you killed the ace up their sleeve," Victoria reminded him and gave him a kiss. "Just because she won't tell _you_ anything doesn't mean other people can't get information out of her. I know it's a hard thing to do, but…keep her alive for now."

"Fine," Kai remarked. "But I'm still angry."

Victoria smiled and took his hand as she whispered in his ear, "Would spending a little time in the playroom help with that? I'll get the cuffs. Or would you rather tie me up?"

"Yeah," Kai nodded as she pulled him away. "That might help a little. Let's try it."


	24. Gathering More Troops

"Oh, my god!" Daisy said when she shut her locker door and found Finn standing on the other side when he hadn't been there before. "You scared me!"

"Did I?" Finn grinned. "That's really stupid. I wouldn't have thought someone with as big a mouth as you would scare easily."

"Well, okay, maybe you didn't scare me, but you startled me," Daisy corrected herself. "That's what I meant."

"Good," Finn smiled. "That's what I hoped would happen."

"I was hoping you'd show your stupid face," Daisy told him. "I have a bone to pick with you. What was with the bad grade I got on our project? I heard you got a hundred percent!"

"Of course I did!" Finn nodded. "Cause I did a hundred percent of the work. I told Mr. Briggs and that's why he gave you a zero. Cause you did nothing!"

"That's unacceptable!" Daisy cried and stormed away from her locker. "I'm gonna have a word with him."

"You can have all the words you want," Finn replied. "But it's not gonna change his mind."

"You know what?" Daisy turned to face him. "You really _are_ a big jerk!"

"And you're a bitch," Finn replied. "But that shouldn't come as a surprise to you."

"Is that supposed to make me feel bad?" Daisy wanted to know. "Cause your opinion of me really doesn't matter. I'm not gonna change who I am just for you."

"And I don't think you would," Finn said. "I'm just expressing my feelings about you. This is a free country. I can do that, you know."

Daisy scrunched up her nose at this. "Well, as much as I enjoy our conversations, I'm afraid I'm going to have to cut this one short."

"Why?" Finn asked. "Do you have somewhere else you need to be? Are you going to show up to class on time for once?"

"No," Daisy shook her head. "I just don't want to be near you anymore."

Finn watched her go and scoffed, but not before using his magic to make her drop her book bag and then trip over it so that she fell on her face, causing a few people around her to laugh. He chuckled a little himself as he watched her get up, but then immediately felt bad. That hadn't been nice, even if it had given him a few minutes of satisfaction from seeing her be cut down to size. Doing it to his sister when she was being a jerk was one thing, but anyone else? No. He would take the higher road from now on.

* * *

"Well, you look like you're in a bad mood," Clarissa commented after school as they made their way out to their limo. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing," Daisy shook her head. "At least nothing I want to talk about, anyway."

"All right," Clarissa nodded. "How about you have this to think about then? I got a call from Daddy and he says that he and Mother have to talk to us about something when we get home. I hope it doesn't have anything to do with our inheritance. Cause you know how bad I would do living on my own."

"Yeah," Daisy nodded. "You'd do even worse than I would, and that's saying something!" She chuckled. "Thanks for the image. I needed a good laugh."

"Oh, stop," Clarissa frowned as they reached the limo and the driver opened the back door for them. "It's not _that_ funny."

"Yes it is," Daisy nodded and lapsed into giggles again. "It _really_ is. I promise."

* * *

When Daisy and Clarissa arrived home, they found their parents sitting in the living room with two people who'd never been to their house before: one was Helene Fale, whose mother was the head of the Council, and the other was a man they didn't recognize. Their parents had looks of shock on their faces that filled both girls with worry.

When their parents noticed them, their mother told them in a shaky voice, "Have a seat, you two. We…we have something we need to tell you that we should have a long time ago. But better late than never, I suppose."

"Oh, my god!" Daisy cried. "Daddy, did you get fired? Are we poor? Are we gonna have to move into an apartment and share a bathroom?"

"No, no!" Her mother told her quickly. "Nothing that dire, although it _is_ something life-altering."

"Well, all right then!" Clarissa cried as Helene and her friend looked at her with raised eyebrows. "Stop dawdling and spit it out!"

"After your father and I married, we discovered that he couldn't have children," their mother said. "So we visited a sperm bank to create both of you." She gestured at the man next to Helene. "This is Malachai McCullough. He's the man who's your biological father. And he…he wants to talk to you about something very important."

Both Daisy and Clarissa's jaws dropped as they looked at their parents in shock. Especially their father. "You mean…you're not really our dad?" Clarissa got out. "Are these people here because you want to get rid of us?"

"No!" Their mother told them. "Like I said, they just want to talk to you about something important. Something that will put your powers to good use."

"How can they expect us to listen to something like that when we just found out that our lives have been a lie?" Clarissa cried. "I don't want to talk to them anymore. Whatever they want, they'll have to do it without me."

"Yeah," Daisy nodded. "Me too!"

The girls strode away then and their parents looked apologetically at Helene and Malachai. "Sorry you had to come all this way for nothing," their mother said. "I'm sure we'll be able to get them to come around."

"It's okay," Malachai told her. "We expected that something like this would happen. We can come back later when they're not so emotionally overwrought."

"I don't know when that would be, but you're welcome any time," their father said and then went to get them all a round of drinks.

* * *

"What's the matter with you?" Finn asked when he found Daisy crying at her locker the next day. It was very disconcerting and he hesitated to hug her because he thought she would bite, but she seemed so upset, he thought it would be rude not to try and help her.

"Don't act like you care!" Daisy replied, sniffling. "It's none of your business."

"All right," Finn nodded and stepped back. "I was just trying to be friendly since you're in distress, but I promise I won't do it again."

"I just found out that my father isn't my father, okay?" She got out and faced him, her eyes red and her cheeks wet. "That my parents had to go to a sperm bank to have me and my sister and that our birth father is some guy named Malachai McCullough."

"Really?" Finn asked in surprise. "He's my uncle, you know."

"Ugh, so we're related?" Daisy groaned. "That figures."

"Not biologically," Finn assured her quickly. "He's my grandmother's stepbrother."

"Well, good!" Daisy nodded. "We really dodged a bullet there. I wouldn't have been able to look at myself in the mirror if I knew I was related to you by blood."

She was about to stomp away when he spoke again, in a soft voice full of genuine concern as he reached out for her hand, which she let him take. "You're gonna be okay," he told her. "I promise."

"I hope so," she said. Then she let his hand go and walked away from him without another word as he watched and felt just as shocked by what she'd told him as she was.

* * *

"Do me a favor," Lucy requested of William. "Don't show either of your parents that second picture I made of you, and don't tell them what the first one means. It's private."

"Oh, of course it is," William assured her. "I won't show them a thing."

"Good," Lucy smiled. "You know, you're a very good subject."

"Thanks," William smiled. "I'm glad you enjoyed me."

"Have your parents said anything about you being part of the Phoenix stuff?" Lucy asked. "It might help you feel less alone. Or what if they found someone to help you control your fire power?"

"I don't know if it's something that _can_ be controlled," William shrugged. "Maybe it's just some crazy thing in me that's going to make people be afraid of me for the rest of my life."

"Oh, I'm sure that's not true!" Lucy said and gave him a hug. "We'll figure something out for you. I promise. In fact, I've already found someone who might be able to help you get your powers under control."

"You told them about me and what I can do and they still agreed to help?" William asked in surprise. "I thought they would be too terrified! Who is it?"

"Someone you know very well," Lucy assured him. "And someone who's very used to people who used their powers to do scary things."

* * *

"Hello, William," Alistair said in his friendliest voice when William and Lucy poked their heads into his office. "Come in, please. Lucy said you want to start learning how to control your fire powers."

"Y-yes," William got out as he sat down. "I'd like to do that. It would make things much easier on me."

"I'm sure it would," Alistair nodded. He paused when he noticed that William still looked terrified. "William, are you scared of me? You don't have to be. I'm your grandfather, remember that."

"Yeah," Lucy nodded and put a calming hand on William's back. "It'll be fine. You don't have to worry."

"It's just that…I have to know if you can really help me," William said as he locked eyes with Alistair. "I don't want to get my hopes up for nothing."

"I can help you," Alistair assured him. "It might take time to figure out what will work the best, but we'll get those powers under control. I swear."

"Good," William nodded. "It'll be nice to have that done so that people aren't afraid of me everywhere I go. Even Mom still is sometimes, though not as much as she used to be."

Upon hearing this, Alistair was motivated to get up from his desk and come around to give his grandson a hug. "Well, we'll make it so no one is ever scared of you again, all right?"

"It seems like a tall order," William replied skeptically. "But we'll see what happens, won't we?"

"We will," Alistair nodded. "We really will."

* * *

"How have things been with your dad ever since he found out what we did?" Junior asked Sarah as they sat in his room on the floor watching a movie. "He hasn't made you feel bad about it, has he?"

"No," Sarah shook her head. "But every time he looks at me, he gets this really sad look on his face."

"Well, that's stupid," Junior remarked. "And not something you should have to put up with. Tell him to either accept what we did or just fuck off."

"That's not the way to handle my father," Sarah said patiently. "Selina told me that he's like this sometimes. Just give him time to deal with what shocked him and he'll come around. And it's true: he and Malachai are reasonably tolerant of each other now. And from wanting to shoot him dead on sight, that's a big improvement!"

"Yeah," Junior nodded. "It sure is."

Just then, there was a knock on the door. "Huh," Junior said and got up. "I wonder who that is." He then opened it and gasped, stepping back and running to throw himself in front of Sarah as John strode into the room.

"Whatever you want with me, go ahead and do it," Junior proclaimed. "Just don't hurt Sarah anymore."

John sighed irritably. "I suppose I can keep from doing that," he huffed. "It wouldn't do to antagonize you by hurting your little friend when I need you so badly."

"Yeah," Junior nodded. "You do. Think about that before you try killing me or anyone I love!"

"Didn't you hear me say that I wouldn't hurt you?" John asked. "Doesn't _anyone_ listen to me?"

"Did you come here to take me somewhere?" Junior asked, his voice cold. "Or did you just want to make an entrance that you hoped would impress me?"

"No, I actually came here for more of a purpose than that," John replied. "I think it's time we begin your training."

"Training?" Junior replied. "Like magical training? I know how to do magic. If I recall, I'm way better at it than you."

"You're not better at it than me," John told him. "You have lots of power, but you do a terrible job of controlling it. I can help you there."

"Can you?" Junior asked. "I don't know. I don't think I want to be taught magic by someone who will make me use my powers for his gain and not my own."

John sighed and tried another tactic, turning his gaze to Sarah. "He trusts you, right?" He asked her. "Would you tell him to listen to me?"

"Why would I do that?" Sarah asked. "You knocked me out! If _I_ don't trust you, why should I tell him to?"

"Cause you'll be very sorry if you don't," John replied.

"Will I?" Sarah asked, narrowing her eyes and doing the pistol trick, gripping it tight as she pulled the trigger and riddled him with bullets.

"Now who's sorry?" She asked as she grinned over the crumpled heap on the floor.

"What the hell are these holes in me?" John choked out. His shirt was covered with blood and his voice was weak.

"They're called bullet holes," Sarah said and blew on the gun smoke. "From a fun little human invention called a gun. It just goes to show magic can't beat everything."

Junior zapped John away just as Liam and Mary came running up the stairs.

"We heard shots. Is everything okay?" Mary asked worriedly. "Did Edele show up? Are we gonna have to tell Eva and Sean we're leaving?"

"No, sorry," Sarah apologized. "Nothing is wrong. The TV was louder than I thought. We'll turn it down. We promise."

"Okay," Mary said and tried to get her breath again. "Thank you. You kids have fun."

"We will," Sarah said, keeping her gun behind her back. "Sorry for scaring you."

"What the hell was that?" Junior asked in amazement once his parents were gone.

"I knew a little firepower would do the trick," Sarah replied with a smile as she kissed him. "And now that we don't have any more distractions, want to keep watching the movie?"

"No," Junior replied as they fell back onto the bed and he kissed her again as his hands roamed over her body. "I think I want to do something else entirely."


	25. Learning Lessons

Finn was surprised to see that even a few days after she'd gotten the news about her biological father, Daisy was still upset, although of course she didn't want him to see.

"Are you gonna talk to me about this now?" He asked her at their locker. "You can, you know. You don't have to hold it all in."

Daisy scoffed. "You want me to talk to you and share my feelings?" She spat. "And then stand around with you and sing "Kumbaya"? You're not interested in my feelings. Don't pretend."

"I'm not pretending!" Finn replied. "I know how you feel. I found out that my parents weren't my real parents too, and it was…it was really jarring. You grow up thinking one way about your family and then with just a few words, your whole world changes."

Daisy gazed at him long and hard to see if he was making fun of her, but as much as she wanted to, she couldn't detect any mockery or insincerity in his face. He really did look concerned. She sighed and said, "Yeah, it's been tough. I…I still can't bring myself to talk to my parents yet. Clarissa took it a lot better than I did." She paused. "Do you think I'm being stupid? That I don't have any right to treat them this way?"

Finn shrugged. "I'm sure they know that the news is a big shock for you, so they understand you wanting to keep your distance and figure things out." Just then the bell rang. "I gotta go," he told her apologetically. "But I'll meet you back here after class if you'd like to talk more."

"Okay," Daisy got out, to his surprise. "You promise you'll be here? You're not just messing with me? I'm kind of vulnerable and I don't want to be messed with anymore."

"I promise," Finn told her firmly. "I will be here for you. Trust me."

"You better be," Daisy said with narrowed eyes before they went their separate ways and didn't look back at one another.

* * *

She was really surprised when she arrived back at her locker after class and found him standing there waiting for her just like he promised. "You're here!" She got out. "I really didn't think you were gonna keep your word."

"Well, that's the thing about me," he told her with a smile. "When I say I'm gonna do something for someone, I do it."

"Even if they treat you badly?" Daisy asked, a faint rose flush coloring her cheeks.

"Yes," Finn said and took her face in his hands. "But I really hope that this meeting improves their opinion of me to the point where I don't have to worry about them treating me so mean from now on."

"I don't know," Daisy said as his lips moved closer and closer to hers. "We'll see."

Then he kissed her. She thought he would realize immediately what he'd done and push her away, but he didn't. He kept going until her body was warm and tingly. When he let her go, he was smiling and her face was scarlet.

Not wanting to let him know how much she'd enjoyed his kiss, she looked down at the ground and spat. "Why did you do that?" She asked. "You…you're gross!"

"Look me in the eye and say that," Finn countered. He was grinning widely and she knew it.

"I can't," She replied.

"All right," Finn sighed. "I'll leave you with your dignity intact."

"Thank you!" Daisy said, looking up now. She grabbed his arm as he began to walk away, her dark eyes blazing as she gave him a good hard slap. "See you later," she said and then strode away, hoping that he wouldn't hear how hard her heart was beating.

* * *

While Finn was dealing with Daisy, Molly was having a much better time with Adrian. She loved waking up next to him in the morning and zapping them both breakfast in bed before she got dressed and left for school, and was even okay with saving some bacon for Rusty.

"Are you ever gonna get tired of this?" Adrian asked one morning as he kissed her cheek.

"I'm sorry," Molly apologized sarcastically. "Would you rather walk all the way to the kitchen for food?"

"No…" Adrian shook his head. "That part is good. I just…I wonder if you want _me_ to do something for _you_ once in a while."

"Ah," Molly nodded and stabbed into her over easy eggs, feeling an odd pleasure as the yellow goo oozed out of the white. It was like watching the egg bleed. She ran her tongue over her bottom lip and put a hand on Adrian's thigh. "Would you go get me some blood, please?" She asked.

"Of course," Adrian nodded. He'd been getting up to do that anyway. He recognized the look in her eyes. "I'll be back in a minute." He was half way to the kitchen before he groaned and stomped all the way back. "I'm such an idiot," he told Molly as he got in bed next to her again.

"Yeah, you are," Molly agreed. "Why don't you have any blood?" Her face changed again. "I told you that I need it."

"Then take some," Adrian told her. "I'm full of it, remember?"

Molly paused and smiled, her lengthened fangs making her look both fiendish and extremely attractive in his eyes. "Are you sure you want to do this?" She asked. "You know I can get carried away sometimes."

"I'm sure," Adrian replied as she took him in her arms and began nibbling gently on his neck. "Go to town. I don't care."

He then grunted as she bit deeply and began drawing blood from him, and when she finally lifted her head up, her chin was red.

"Sorry," she hissed. "Did I take too much?"

"No," he shook his head. "But you got some on your mouth. And your lips." He gently began to wipe the blood off her face as her eyes moved back to normal. He would have licked it off, but since it was his own blood, that would have seemed a bit strange.

"Thanks," she said after he told her she was clean and her head rested on his bare shoulder. "Have I told you that you taste really good?"

"Oh, yes," Adrian nodded. "In more ways than one." He looked at the clock on the bedside table and rolled his eyes. "Damn," he said. "You have to go to school now. You don't want to be late."

Molly growled. "I hate damn school. I'm practically an adult. Why do I even have to go?"

"So you can be super powerful and stop your birth parents from the destroying the vampire race as we know it," Adrian answered as he watched her dress. "That's a good enough reason, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Molly nodded as she pulled her jeans on and zipped them and Rusty played with her jean cuffs. "But I would still rather be here with you."

Adrian chuckled. "That's so nice. Do you know if your dad is gonna stop by today?"

"I don't," Molly shook her head. "But we should always count on it anyway."

"Have a good day," Adrian called as she left his room and went to get her keys. "Learn lots of stuff. Don't let my extreme handsomeness distract you."

"I'll try not to," Molly called. "But it'll be hard."

* * *

"So…how are you crazy kids doing today?" Kai asked when he knocked and Adrian answered the door with Molly at his side. "You're dressed. That's nice to see."

"Yes, well, we never know when you're gonna pop in," Molly said and pursed her lips. "And we don't want to scar you for life. You've got enough problems with Grandma wanting to live at the house and everything. Where is she now?"

"Oh, I don't know," Kai replied. "But this is the best place for you to be right now unless you want to be grilled about your love life."

"I can talk about it," Molly said resolutely as Rusty toddled in and gave a bark so she took him up on her lap.

"You might want to talk to Finn about how it goes before you agree to be interrogated," Kai told her. "Cause it really didn't seem like he was enjoying himself. And once she meets Adrian, she might decide on another match for you. She already knows who he is and doesn't even want _me_ near him."

"Is she one of the people that we have to kill in this war thing your uncle Malachai thinks is coming?" Adrian asked. "Cause that sounds good to me."

"No," Kai groaned and came to sit down on the sofa. "She's on the good side now, apparently, since John's dumped her to have some relationship with an aunt of yours who's turned against your family. Knowing my mother as I do, I think it was a smart move and I applaud him for getting out of her clutches and moving onto someone else."

"So we just have to sit around and let her control our lives?" Adrian sighed. "That sounds like fun."

"No, we don't have to do that," Molly assured him. "And even if she does try and worm her way into our lives and says she doesn't like you, it doesn't matter. My goal in life is not to please her. I want to be with you. You're enough for me. That's it and tough luck for her." She then looked apologetically at Kai.

"You probably didn't want to hear that," she guessed.

"Oh, no," Kai shook his head. "That's fine. It's better than listening to Mother complain about John and his girlfriend any day of the week.

"You want a drink?" Adrian asked his friend and stood up.

"Yes, please," Kai nodded. "In fact, I'll come with you. Just us guys in the kitchen talking about guy stuff."

"And will you get me a Coke?" Molly asked.

"Oh, all right," Kai told her. "But at least let me have a few minutes with my friend before you make everything about you."

They strode off and Molly sighed. Yep, despite the fact that she would always think of Kai as her father, he was definitely beginning to act more like a brother now.

* * *

"You're gonna teach William how to control his fire powers?" Helene asked her father as they both sat in the kitchen of her parents' house.

"Yes," Alistair nodded. "Lucy put the idea forth and I thought it was a good idea. You can't let the boy live in fear forever. And you can't be afraid of him for the rest of his life either."

"Oh, I understand," Helene nodded. "And I think it's a good idea, but…do you know what you're getting into? I don't know if you do."

"Okay, dear, you _do_ remember the man I was attached to at the hip for more than half a century, don't you?" Alistair reminded her. "Klaus is more dangerous and predictable when angry than William will ever be. I'm happy to take the risk. And maybe sometimes you and Malachai could come and help me? It would be good for him, if you could find the time."

"All right," Helene nodded and squeezed her father's hand. "We'll do that."

Malachai, Helene, and Lucy were all there the next day when William had his first lessons with Alistair, something which surprised William himself.

"What are they all here for?" He asked in amazement as they trooped into the room and sat down.

"They came to encourage you with your lessons," Alistair replied. "I thought that would help. Unless you don't work well with an audience. Then I can send them away."

"No, I can handle it," William replied. But despite his words. Alistair could tell he was nervous. This was good. As he tried to get his breath, a small flame shot out of his finger. It didn't hit anything, but Helene gasped nonetheless.

"That's okay," Alistair whispered as he came up behind William, who had tensed at the sound of his mother's voice. "In order to get anywhere with this, we have to get you worked up. You're doing fine. It's not your fault. Now think about Lucy. Think about Lucy and Damon."

William shut his eyes and his hands balled into fists. Then he began to make angry grunting noises and soon, his whole body was enveloped in flames.

"Don't scream," Malachai whispered to Helene, who looked terrified. "Whatever you do, don't scream."

"What happens now?" Lucy asked Alistair as William continued to burn with no end in sight. "How do we bring him back?"

Alistair looked troubled. "I may have pushed him too far. Can you do something, Lucy? Talk to him. Maybe that'll snap him out of it."

"William!" She called. "William, stop. It's okay! I love you. You don't have to worry about Damon anymore."

Her words echoed in William's ears and soon he felt himself beginning to calm down and before long, he stood in the office a young man and not a scary wall of fire.

"I'm sorry," Alistair apologized, putting a hand on his grandson's shoulder as Lucy ran up to hug him. "I didn't mean to push you so far."

"It's all right," William said. "Like you told me, if we're gonna control this, I have to let myself experience it, don't I?"

"Let's have that be enough for today, shall we?" Alistair asked after clearing his throat. "And if you don't entirely hate me, maybe we can have another lesson next week?"

"Sure," William nodded. "I think I would like that."

* * *

"I'm so proud of how you handled yourself at your lesson today, especially when Alistair brought me and Damon up. I know that thinking of me and him is difficult for you."

William nodded. "But you have to admit, it's a good solid way to get me stirred up."

Lucy chuckled then and came to put her arms around him and gave him a kiss. "I think I want to reward you for all your hard work today."

William smiled. "If it's the reward I think it is, aren't you worried? Cause you know that arousal brings fire too, and you'll burn up, won't you?"

"I'm not worried," Lucy said and began leading him to his bedroom. "I trust you." After they got inside, she shut the bedroom door behind him and proceeded to undress.

"Is it getting hot in here?" She winked. "Or is it just me."

"Oh, it's definitely not just you," he said, undressing himself and taking her in his arms, kissing her neck, her lips, and her shoulders. Her body was definitely warm. They then moved to the bed and as her legs parted, he looked down at her with an intense light in his dark eyes. "Are you sure you know what you're doing, Lucy? Are you prepared for the consequences?"

"I told you, I'm not worried," Lucy insisted, bringing his face down to hers and kissing him. "If I burn, so be it. It'll be a good way to go."

He ran his hands all over her body then, his lips blazing a hot trail from her lower jaw, down her neck and abdomen, and between her thighs until he was stimulating her gently with his tongue.

"Oh, yes," she said, bucking forward, her eyes closed, her body warm and covered in sweat. It was like being in a sauna or a warm bath, but she didn't mind.

Then he changed positions and was kissing her lips as she threw her arms around his neck and he pushed inside her and pulled out over and over again. She kept her eyes open to see if the room would become engulfed in flames, but in the end, the only consequence they noticed as they lay together afterward was a burned outline of her body on the covers.


	26. After School Hours

"Good morning, Daisy!" Finn said as she arrived at her locker. "Here's something for you. I wouldn't give it to anyone else." What he handed her was an actual daisy. "Isn't it pretty?"

Daisy chuckled. "Thanks. And that's a joke I've heard several times in my life. You're not the first one to give Daisy a daisy." She smiled and sniffed it. "It's lovely, however, and it _does_ seem to have cheered me up. So thank you."

"You're welcome," Finn replied, coming up behind her and putting his arms around her waist as she zapped up a vase with water in it to put her flower in.

"Hey, hey, hey!" She cried. "What are you doing? I was already nice enough to let you give me a flower. Don't push your luck anymore. Especially with people watching!" She'd turned and looked over her shoulder to see people walking by, their necks craning to get a better look.

"Oh, don't mind them," Finn brushed off that concern and came to stand behind her. "I've been thinking a lot of our kiss yesterday. Have _you_?" He began softly kissing her neck as his arms went around her waist and he held her against him.

"Sure," Daisy nodded, her breath picking up as she tried to stay calm. She wasn't gonna give into him! "I've been thinking of how gross it was and how ashamed of yourself you should feel." She paused. "Now we should probably be getting to class, shouldn't we? Or at least _you_ should, because I don't care so much and you do."

"Ordinarily, I would agree with you and be on my way," Finn told her with a smile. "But today, I'm feeling like doing something risky and out of character, and I want you to come with me."

Daisy looked at the smile on his determined face and part of her was intrigued. "Well, all right," she said at last and let him lead her away. "You've gone completely insane, but I don't think I could handle class with all that's going on and you're the only one who's shown me even a shred of any sort of caring emotion. But you better not tell anyone. If this gets out, it'll ruin me!"

"Well, then maybe you shouldn't yell it so loud!" Finn replied as they reached a door that led to a stairwell up to the second floor of the building. "Come in here."

"And what the hell do you expect us to do in a stairwell?" Daisy asked in exasperation as she looked around while Finn was closing the door behind them. She didn't get an answer while her back was to him, so she turned around and repeated herself. "What do you expect us to do in-"

"This," he said, cutting her off as he took her in his arms and kissed her again. As he expected, she resisted at first, pushed him away, and gave him a slap. But then, to his surprise, she grabbed him and kissed him of her own accord,

"You know what you just did, right?" He asked her in amazement.

"Yeah, I do," She nodded. "Just don't tell anyone." They then began kissing deeply as he backed her up against one of the walls, his hands going down her body and pushing her skirt up a little so he could run his hands down her thighs. Then he felt hunger overtake him. He paused to think about whether or not he should stop, and then Daisy snapped at him, "Why did you stop? I was just beginning to enjoy myself!"

"I don't know if you want me to keep going," he told her. "I'm…I'm a bit hungry and people will definitely ask what's going on if you leave here and your neck is bleeding."

"On the contrary, I think it would be a perfect way to explain what we've been up to without telling the truth," Daisy replied. "Go ahead and do what you need to do."

"Oh, my god," he told her, looking at her as if she'd sprouted a second head. "You really _are_ desperate to keep this a secret, aren't you?"

She nodded. "If people are gonna find out, it'll be on my terms, not theirs."

So Finn bit her and fed, and then gave her some of his blood to help the healing, which was good because she let out a cry at the first moment his fangs pierced her skin, which brought the janitor running.

"Everything okay in here?" He asked, looking at the teenagers with concern. "Aren't you two supposed to be in class?"

"We were planning to be," Daisy told him and pulled Finn along behind her. "But we got lost. We'll be on our way now. Goodbye."

* * *

"Oh, my god!" Daisy let out a shriek as Finn popped into her limo. "What the hell are you doing in here? Get out! We've already done enough to each other today."

"Miss Shaw?" Asked the driver, his voice full of concern. "Are you all right?"

"Yes, Roberts," Daisy assured him. "Just fine. You focus on driving. You don't have to worry about me." She then glared at Finn and whispered angrily, "What are you doing here? You can't be in here! If Roberts tells my dad that I have a boy in the car, I'm going to be in so much trouble!"

"Oh, it can't be that bad!" Finn whispered. "I'll be quiet, I promise."

"You can't stay," Daisy said firmly. "You're not coming home with me."

"Why don't you come back into the school with me then?" Finn questioned as his dark eyes twinkled. "We'll have more privacy anyway. It's completely empty."

"You're crazy if you think I'm gonna come anywhere with you," Daisy told him.

"Fine," he shrugged. "We can do it here where your driver can hear us. It doesn't matter to me." He took her hand in his and began kissing her fingers, and then her palm, making a trail up her arm and her shoulder.

"Oh, oh, please…" Daisy told him. "Not here. Not here."

He then went for her lips and after he ended the kiss, he told her, when are you going to deny what's between us?"

Suddenly the engine of the limo roared to life.

"Now you've done it!" Daisy cried, the mood momentarily broken. "You can't be here! You can't come home with me! If my father finds out—"

"Well, he won't," Finn assured her and grabbed her hand before zapping her out of the car and then pulling her after him as they ran back into the dark, supposedly abandoned school building. But in his haste, he didn't notice his brother Junior and Sarah watching him as they came out of the building after sports practice and tutoring respectively.

"What do you think that was all about?" Sarah asked.

"I don't know," Junior told her. "You wanna go see?"

"No," Sarah shook her head. "I don't wanna know _that_ badly. It was just a question."

"Well, _I_ wanna know what my brother Finn is up to," Junior told her, his blue eyes full of mischief. "And since I'm the only one that can drive my car, you're gonna have to come with me until we get this all figured out."

"Fine," Sarah huffed. "But how I let you draw me into one crazy situation after another is beyond me."

"Yeah," Junior chuckled and pulled her against himself. "You must really like me."

* * *

Meanwhile, Finn and Daisy had gotten inside, turned the lights on, and were looking for somewhere private to go.

"Not the stairwell again," she requested. "It smells terrible there."

"Well how many places are there in a school that smell _nice?"_ Finn asked and brought her into an empty classroom, sitting her down on the teacher's desk and kissing her again. When he pulled away, he was grinning. "You aren't gonna tell me to stop?" He asked. "Or how terrible I am since I'm violating a teacher's privacy?"

"Well," Daisy told him. "Do you want me to?"

"Yes," Finn nodded. "Go ahead and say it."

"I-I have to say that I'm very disappointed that you have me up on a teacher's desk like this," Daisy got out, trying to make her expression severe. "When it's found out that her papers are all messed up, we're gonna be in so much trouble and it will be all your fault!"

"Yeah, maybe," Finn smiled. "But it'll really be worth it, won't it?"

Daisy sighed. "Well, considering what I've got to look forward to in my life, I have to take what joy I can. So I guess it will." She threw the papers on the desk aside and put her arms around Finn's neck. They kissed like this for a bit, and then he picked her up and she wrapped her arms around his neck as he braced her against the wall, pushing up her skirt and slipping off her panties.

"Are we gonna do this?" She breathed. "Really?"

"Yes," Finn nodded. "I don't see why not. But I'm gonna…I'm gonna need a little help with my pants."

"Okay," Daisy replied. She shifted her body a little and got a grip on the zipper, but when she tried to tug it down, it wouldn't go. "It's not moving," she told him apologetically. Then she saw why as she gently put her fingers on his bulge. "That could be a reason why.

"That doesn't help much, does it?" Finn groaned. "Just get them off. I don't care what you have to do! Cut 'em, rip 'em up, whatever!"

"I can't do that!" Daisy replied in horror. "These are really nice pants!"

"Do it!" Finn told her, a growl in his voice.

So Daisy rooted around in the teacher's desk for some scissors and began cutting away, making conversation while she did so. "I don't know why you seem so quick to do this," she told him. "You hate everything about me: My hats, the way I dress, everything."

"Well, it's true that you have a lot of work to do in the clothing department," Finn agreed. "But I like the girl underneath the stupid hats. And underneath the dresses too. Why don't you show me her?"

"You mean right here?" Daisy asked in shock. "But we're in a public place! And the door's probably not even locked!"

"Oh, yes it is!" Finn told her. "And the place is empty anyway, so what does it matter?" He let out a cry of triumph as he was cut free of his pants and then his boxers went to join her panties next to the desk.

Daisy ordered him to put her on her feet so she could have a good look at him.

"You like what you see?" He asked.

"I can't say I hate it," she replied, her eyes locked on his body. "Now, you said you wanted to do this, so let's get to it."

"Wait just a minute now," he said, taking her by the wrists. "Before we do this, you have to do something for me: you have to tell me honestly, to my face, how you feel about me.

"I-I-I…" she got out. She just couldn't get herself to say the words. "Oh, fuck it all," she said and grabbed him to kiss him deeply, her hands mussing his dark hair. "There's no point in fighting it, is there?"

"No," he said. "Not when we both know how it'll end up." He then helped her off with her dress, but struggled with her bra.

"Oh, for heaven's sake!" Daisy cried. "I had an excuse cause your zipper was stuck. You're just incompetent!"

"It's a back clasp!" Finn yelled back. "The angle is really weird and I can't get at it comfortably! Couldn't you have worn one that fastened in the front? I know they have them."

"Well, when I got dressed today, I didn't know I was gonna be having sex with a guy who can't unclasp a bra!" Daisy told him.

They weren't quiet, which made it really easy for Sarah and Junior to hear.

"What about that?" Junior smiled. "My brother is about to get laid!"

"Don't interrupt them," Sarah warned.

"Of course not," Junior scoffed at her. "What do you think I am, an idiot?" They followed the sound of the yelling to the door and waited in the hallway without making a sound, so neither Finn nor Daisy knew they were there and continued talking.

"There!" Daisy cried irritably and threw her bra in the panty pile. "That's how you unhook a bra. I hope you were paying attention."

"Oh, I was!" Finn assured her. "It's kind of hard to ignore when the person doing the talking has such a big mouth!"

"You're horrible!" Daisy cried. "I can't believe I'm about to do this with you! And you better have some sort of protection."

"Yeah," Finn replied after digging around in his pocket and showing her a condom. "Here."

"You carry condoms around in your pocket?" Daisy asked. "Cocky, aren't you?"

"No," Finn shook his head. "Cautious. Unless you _want_ to risk getting pregnant? Cause it can happen the first time, you know."

"Duh," Daisy said. "I definitely can't afford that. Literally."

They then went silence for a few seconds while Finn put the condom on, and then he grabbed her and backed her up against the wall as she spread her legs apart and he pushed into her over and over again. She tried to keep a lid on the noises that came out of her mouth, but that proved to be difficult and finally she just gave up and let the noise come out of her.

Things went on for quite a while, until they were both panting heavily and she was just leaning against him with her head on his shoulder while he held onto her so she wouldn't fall. "I would say that was a successful several minutes," he got out at last. "Apparently, you have a talent for inspiring me. That was…that was really hot."

She then looked up at him, her cheeks bright red. "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself," she said. "But I think…I think I want to get dressed now."

"All right," Finn nodded and followed her as she went to grab her clothes. "Are you gonna be okay? Did I let it drag on too long?"

"No…" Daisy shook her head. "It's not that. It's just…I bet that they're wondering where I am at home. Roberts probably told Daddy that I was gone the second he reached home and it'll be all over the news soon if I don't get back."

"Right," Finn nodded and cleared his throat as he pulled his pants on. "That's a good point. You should go. See you tomorrow, Daisy. And don't worry. I won't say anything about this. I'll be the soul of discretion."

"Thank you," Daisy told him as she smoothed out her skirt. "Really." She then gave him one more kiss before disappearing and leaving him alone in the room.

It was then that the door opened and Junior came in, a big grin on his face. "Well, look at you! You just got laid! How does it feel?"

"How the hell do you know that?" Finn asked.

"Sarah and I saw you and her come back in here when we were done with sports practice and tutoring, so we followed you and waited outside the door. You have some stamina, let me tell you." Junior chuckled.

"Okay, I won't even _touch_ on how weird and creepy you sound right now," Finn told him. "But if you heard all that, you also probably heard me tell Daisy that no one would know about this. I would appreciate it if you didn't say anything either."

"He won't," Sarah called. "And I won't either. We promise."

"Thank you," Finn told her. Then he said to Junior, "I think I just want to go home now."

"Yeah, I bet," Junior smiled and put an arm around his brother. "You're probably exhausted."

They got out the door and Sarah gave him a slap. "Shame on you for teasing him like that," she said firmly.

"I meant it in good fun!" Junior assured her. "He knows that." Junior peered at his brother. "Right?"

"Sure," Finn nodded. "Whatever. Let's just go."

"All right," Junior nodded. "We will if you lead the way, Casanova."

Finn started walking back to the parking lot and chuckled to himself when he heard Junior cry out again. Sarah was really putting him in line over this.

When they reached Finn's car, he wished the pair goodnight, and reminded them of their promise not to say anything to anyone about what had gone on between him and Daisy.

"We won't," Sarah assured him firmly. "We promise. See you tomorrow, Finny."

"Goodnight, Sarah, Junior," Finn told them. Then he started the car and drove away, leaving them alone in the parking lot.


	27. The Little Runaway

"Hello!" Finn greeted Daisy brightly as he approached her locker with another flower in hand. "This is for you. And yes, me giving you flowers _will_ become a habit." He then stroked her cheek with the daisy. "I hope that's not a problem." He leaned forward to kiss her cheek but then she deftly moved out of the way.

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that," she told him. "What we did yesterday was fun. I don't want you to think that I didn't enjoy it, because I did. But I _really_ don't think we should go it anymore."

"Why not?" Finn asked. "Did I do something wrong? Are you mad because you had to cut me out of my pants? That won't happen again, I promise."

Daisy let out a sigh of relief as Junior and Sarah approached them. "I'll have to tell you later," she said. "Why don't you introduce me to your friends?"

"Well, all right," Finn sighed deeply and cleared his throat. "Daisy, this is my brother Sean and my friend Sarah. They're dating now."

"I know you," Sarah smiled at her as she shook Daisy's hand. Junior wasn't feeling very talkative so he just gave a wave. He would surely become more vocal once the girls were gone, though. "You're in chemistry with me next period, aren't you?"

"Yeah," Daisy nodded. "I am." She paused. "And the teacher is always telling me that I should ask you about tutoring. So…would you help me? And don't think I'm stealing your boyfriend. Finn and I just had one quick time together and that's it."

"Sure, I'll help you with chemistry," Sarah nodded and ushered Daisy away from Finn and Junior because she knew Junior would want to talk to his brother about this latest development and didn't want Daisy to have to put up with his teasing. In fact, his words could be heard very clearly as they walked away.

"So," she said with a smile when they were a safe distance away. "Finn and I aren't a couple anymore. We tried, but it didn't go anywhere and I moved onto Junior instead so you don't have to worry about that. What are _you_ doing with Finn? I mean, I know because I was at the school when you…" she paused when Daisy's face began to turn a deep red. "Never mind. We're sorry we interrupted you. Are you two gonna start dating, or what?"

"He wants to," Daisy nodded. "And I think he's nice, but there are certain things going on in my life that stop me from pursuing a relationship with him: namely that I don't think my mother would like it. She already has in mind the man she wants me to marry."

"Really?" Sarah asked, eyebrow raised. "She _does_ know what century we're in, right?"

Daisy chuckled, her brown eyes getting some light in them. "I know it seems old-fashioned, but that's just how she is."

Sarah scoffed. "I bet compared to _my_ father, your mom is downright modern."

"Huh," Daisy smiled. "Really?"

"Yeah," Sarah replied. "My parents had to go to a sperm donor to have me because my father is a vampire who was turned in 1847. And one day my birth father Malachai came around wanting to get to know me because I was part of some big plan of his to take his evil sister down and Dad thought that Malachai was trying to steal me away, so he actually got out one of his dueling pistols (yes, he actually has monogrammed dueling pistols just like in the movies) and tried to shoot him. Can you believe that?" She paused when she saw the change in Daisy's face as she mentioned Malachai. "What?"

"When you say your birth father is named Malachai, does he have dark hair and dark eyes, and is he a warlock?" Daisy wanted to know.

"Yeah," Sarah nodded. "Why do you ask?"

"Cause apparently, he's _my_ birth father too," Daisy told her. "And my sister Clarissa's as well. My parents had a sperm donor situation just like yours. So I guess we're all sisters."

Sarah chuckled. "Well, isn't that a fun coincidence? You've met Malachai?"

"Yeah," Daisy nodded. "He seemed nice, but I was a bit too freaked out to want to get to know him better the first time."

"Well, I see him every other week, so if you ever want to come with me and meet him, I'll take you," Sarah smiled. "He can be a bit intense sometimes, but he's really nice. And Helene is too. She's his wife. And to top it all off, there are a couple more of our half-siblings that live at their house."

"My god," Daisy told her, starting to feel overwhelmed. "Just how many of us are there?"

"Thirteen, I think," Sarah told her. "I think I was the last one in the group. I'm the baby. We're meant to help Malachai defeat someone who wants to kill all the vampires, I think. Or something like that. Whatever it is, it's _bad_."

Then the bell rang and they shouted goodbyes to their boyfriends as they headed for chemistry, which was something Daisy was all too glad about. Even if she was terrible at it, it would keep the fact that she apparently had a very large family to meet (and not just a couple of new parents) out of her mind.

* * *

When she and Finn both had off periods later in the day, she sent him a text asking him to meet her in the stairwell so they could talk.

"All right," Finn said when they were as comfortably situated as they could possibly be. "What is it that you want to talk to me about? Your text seemed like it was urgent."

"Yes, well, I just wanted to explain to you why it's not gonna be possible for us to have an ongoing relationship, even though I want one very much."

"Okay," Finn nodded. "I'm listening." He thought he was prepared for every answer she could possibly give him, but when she finished her story about Blake Martell and their arranged marriage, he just…he was so stunned he could hardly speak.

"You…your mother is making you marry someone just because their mother is her friend?" He asked. "Does she know what century this is?"

"Oh, yes," Daisy said and gave a rueful chuckle. "But that doesn't matter. It's the price I have to pay for all my privilege and there's no way out of it. I'm gonna be doomed to spend the rest of my life with a man I don't love. It's the only way for me to get my inheritance when I turn 25." She sniffled and rubbed her eyes.

"Now wait just a minute," Finn told her as he tilted her chin up so that she was looking into his eyes. "What's happened to you? Just yesterday, you were the sort of person who would stomp over anyone to get your way and now when you talk about this, something that you clearly don't want, you're just gonna lay down and take it? Give up and not fight? What's happened? It's like I don't even know you anymore!"

"You don't understand," Daisy told him, her voice desperate. "If I fight Mom on this, she'll disown me. I'll be left on my own without a penny! You've spent time at my house. You know how I live. I'd be terrible at being poor! The only good thing is that Clarissa isn't being forced to marry."

"And you shouldn't be either," Finn said firmly before taking her in his arms and giving her a deep and lingering kiss. "We'll find some way out of this so that it works well for everyone. I promise."

"You will?" Daisy asked. "Do you _swear_? Don't get up my hopes and then let me down."

"I won't," Finn told her as he pulled her up and led her out of the stairwell. "I promise. Fuck everyone. We'll get this worked out, I swear. Even if I have to kill everyone."

* * *

Finn walked her to her limo at the end of the day, and Daisy even felt like she could introduce him to the chauffeur. Apparently, Clarissa had had to zap herself out of school early, so she would be going home alone.

Roberts, although he was usually very serious, seemed very pleased to meet Finn and when he gave Daisy one last kiss and let her go on her way, Roberts remarked, "You seem to have yourself a very nice young man there, Miss Daisy."

"Oh, I know," Daisy nodded and got in the car. "But I think it goes without saying that you won't tell Mom about him? She wouldn't be too happy about that because of her insistence that I marry… _him_."

"Yes, miss, of course," Roberts nodded. "She won't hear a peep from me."

They drove along for a bit and Daisy mused, "Finn says he can get me out of the marriage. Do you think that's possible, Roberts?"

"Well, I wish him the best of luck," Roberts replied. "I've never liked Mr. Martell anyway. I don't think you have anything to worry about. One should never underestimate the determination of a man in love, especially if he knows he has a rival."

"I sure hope you're right," Daisy nodded and then lapsed into silence for the rest of the car ride home.

* * *

When she called out that she was back, her sister came running in to greet her. "Mom and Dad are out right now so you have a chance to make a run for it," she told her in a panicked voice. "And I suggest you do so. Unless you want to spend the evening having dinner with your betrothed, Blake Martell and his parents. But I don't think you do, right?"

"No, I most certainly do not," Daisy told her firmly. But before she could run, her maid came by and took her by the arm. "Your mother wants me to help you dress," she said while Daisy looked at Clarissa helplessly. "The Martells will be here for dinner any moment."

"Oh, and what a joy that will be," Daisy replied sarcastically as she was marched up to her room and made to shower and change. She had her hair done just in time to hear several voices downstairs.

"Damn," she whispered. "They're here." She then cleared her throat and strode down the stairs with dignity, giving Blake and his parents a polite smile and then taking her fiance's hand for a few seconds before pulling it away. "Hello, Blake," she muttered, not looking the blond boy with the ice blue gaze directly in the eye.

"Hello," he said in a voice that sounded icy and slick. He put his hand under her chin so that she was forced to look him in the eye and the other around her waist, pulling her close. "You look very beautiful, if I may say."

"You may not, but you will," she said and stomped on his foot. "Cause that's all you care about anyway."

As she took Clarissa's hand and made an exit, her mother said, "Why don't we have drinks in the library? That might be a good thing to do now."

The evening didn't get much better. They all sat through a boring, awkward dinner and conversation that made Daisy doze off, despite repeatedly being remonstrated by her mother about being rude. Finally, Daisy excused herself to get some fresh air and Clarissa followed.

"You should go," she told her sister. "You've put in your time. You don't have to be here anymore. I'll cover for you."

"Really?" Daisy asked, turning. "You'd do that?"

"Of course," Clarissa nodded and pushed a wayward strand of short blonde hair out of her eyes. "Now go before they come out here and drag you back in."

"All right," Daisy nodded and zapped herself away before she was even sure where she wanted to end up. Anywhere was better than home, that was for sure.

* * *

Finn had just settled down to read in his room when he heard a knock on his bedroom window. At first he thought it was just a branch of a nearby tree that was knocking on the pane because of the wind, but then the noise became insistent in a way a branch couldn't. So he groaned and got up to go over to the window, surprised to see Daisy struggling on the other side.

"Quick, grab my hand!" She cried. "Haul me in or I'm gonna fall!"

"What the hell are you doing here at this time of night?" Finn asked when her feet were firmly planted on his carpet. "And how the hell did you manage to climb up to my window?"

"Well, I couldn't stay home anymore," she said. "My future fiancé is visiting us and he's a big pain in the butt." She grabbed him and kissed him as Finn's jaw dropped. "All right," she said, going over to the bed and once again changing the subject from Blake as she pulled the covers of his neatly made bed aside. "Which side of the bed is yours and which one do I sleep on? And as for how I got to your window, I've sneaked in and out that way a lot at my own house. I have practice." She smiled. "So...what side for me?"

"Who the hell said you could sleep in my bed?" Finn asked.

"Can't I just this once?" Daisy asked. "I'll go home tomorrow once Blake's gone, I _swear._ "

"All right," Finn sighed deeply and turned his dark eyes heavenward. "I'll sleep on the left side and you can take the right."

"Thanks," Daisy nodded and zapped herself into pajamas. "I can't thank you enough for taking me in like this. I just couldn't stay home another minute."

"Not a problem," Finn said. "But you have to tell me about your fiancé first."

Daisy sighed. "Fine, but I'm only giving you the short version: his mom and my mom work together and are best friends. Because it's you know, rarer for a witch and a warlock to have a male child, they decided that they needed to make a formal plan if they wanted their children to unite and make the business super rich, which they did. So that's how I got stuck with Blake, and why Mom would cut me off if I defied her."

"And yet, here you are, doing it now," Finn said with a smile and took her hand. "Good for you."

"I'm not taking a big risk yet," Daisy smiled. "Clarissa is covering for me. They might not even know I'm gone yet. Oh, and I know you probably won't want to hear this, but…would you mind keeping our relationship a secret for now? I don't want it getting out until we have a plan to combat the backlash."

"I'm sure they know you're gone by now," Finn whispered and put an arm around her once he'd put covers over both of them. "But whatever helps you sleep at night. And I suppose, if it means that much to you, we can wait to tell everyone we're a couple. It'll be hard, but I can do it."

"Thank you for understanding," Daisy said and kissed him. "I appreciate it."

* * *

The next morning, they were awakened by a cry of surprise. They opened their eyes and saw Victoria standing by the window with her hands on the curtains. She'd just opened them to let the morning light in and wake up Finn, who was apparently late for breakfast, and that had revealed the fact that Finn wasn't sleeping alone.

"Hello," Victoria greeted the pair, quickly regaining her composure and smiling. "Good morning, Finny. Finny's friend. I just came up to tell you that you're late for breakfast and if you don't get down soon, your dad will eat it all."

"Thanks for the warning," Finn chuckled. "Mom, this is Daisy. She goes to school with me. Daisy, this is my mom, Victoria."

"Hello," Daisy said and reached out her hand, the vow to have no one know about their relationship suddenly seeming pointless. "Sorry about the intrusion. I know this might seem sort of strange."

"I've seen weirder," Victoria told her. "Trust me. You want to join us for some breakfast?"

"S-sure," Daisy replied, still a little dumbfounded at how well Finn's mother was taking finding a strange girl in his bed. "Thank you. I appreciate it."

"We better get running," Finn told her. "When she says that my dad will eat all the food if we're not down there, she's not kidding. Just be glad my sister Molly is eating someone else's food at the moment, cause then there'd be even _less_ to go around."

"All right," Daisy nodded as he pulled her along after him. "Let's go then."

When Kai first saw Finn coming into the kitchen, Daisy wasn't visible to him so he said, "What's going on with you, Finny? You know what time breakfast is in this house." He began to butter some toast. "What kept you?"

" _I_ did," Daisy said and came into his line of vision. "Sorry."

Kai's eyes widened a little as he saw her and then he swore as he dropped his toast in his lap, butter side down. "Never mind," he said, picking it up and bemoaning the stain on his pants. "You seem to be as good a reason as any for Finny to be preoccupied." He got up and came to shake her hand. "I'm his father, Kai."

Daisy heard this and froze. "Kai Parker?" She gave Finn a shake. "You didn't tell me that your father was a notorious criminal!"

"Well, you didn't tell me until just now that you have a fiancé," Finn replied. "We all have our secrets. Besides, he's not as bad as the Council makes him out to be."

"I'm really not," Kai told her. Then he grinned. "Why don't you come sit next to me? I promise I don't bite."

"No, you don't!" Victoria replied and shoved a jelly doughnut in his mouth with such force that some of the jelly spurted onto the table.

"Jealous, Vicky?" Kai chuckled after taking a bite of the doughnut and putting it down.

"No," Victoria shook her head and Daisy took a seat between her and Finn. "Now…who wants bacon?"


	28. No Time To Explain

"I have a question," Percy said to Stephanie as he happened by her locker in between classes one day.

"What?" She asked. "If it's about whether or not I'll ever be interested in you, the answer is 'No'. I thought that would be clear by now because of all the time I've spent ignoring you. Any idiot would get the hint. Why won't you?"

"Because I don't believe it!" Percy told her firmly. "I think you don't want to be with me because that would mean giving up control, which you prize more than anything in the world. But wouldn't it be worth giving up just a little to get a lot? You can admit you like me. It's okay."

Stephanie stared at him and burst into laughter. "Well, listen to you!" She got out. " _Someone_ thinks a lot of themselves. I mean, that's something people have always accused me of, but at least _I_ don't stride around with the delusion that I alone could better someone's life."

"Of course you don't spend time thinking about how you affect other people," Percy shot back. "Cause you only think of yourself."

"And?" Stephanie shrugged. "What about it? Why shouldn't I? Who'll care about me if I don't?"

"There _would_ be people if you would give them a chance," Percy told her.

"What _sort_ of people?" Stephanie wanted to know. "People who just want me to change and don't give a shit about what I'm like already?"

"Well, you have to see that how you are now might make it hard for people to get close to you," Percy told her.

"Maybe," Stephanie replied, looking down at her shoes so he wouldn't see the longing in her eyes. "But it wouldn't hurt them to try, would it?"

"And what if someone _did_ try?" Percy asked, facing her. "Would they see nice Stephanie?"

"You have to _earn_ nice Stephanie," she told him, her voice cold again as her head snapped up. "I don't just give her out." She put a hand on either side of his face and kissed him. "But she might be too much for you to handle. Trust me, sweetie. I'm doing you a favor."

When the kiss ended, instead of feeling exhilaration or whatever you're supposed to feel after being kissed, Percy just felt used and degraded. He pushed her away and strode off with his book bag over his shoulder, feeling proud that he'd stood up for himself, and resisting the temptation to look back and see the look on Stephanie's face. He hoped she was shocked though. It was probably the first time anyone outside her family had ever stood up to her in her whole life and it couldn't have come soon enough, he thought.

* * *

"What's going on with you?" Helene asked as Percy came home and threw his bag on the floor by the door and things spilled out everywhere. When he didn't move to pick them up in his usual fastidious way, sat himself down, and lay his head down on the table after letting out a resigned breath, she came to sit next to him. "You're not okay," she surmised. "What's happened? You wanna talk about it?"

"No," Percy shook her head. "I'm just a failure at life, that's all."

"No, you're not," Helene shook her head and put a comforting hand on his back. "In what possible way do you think you're a failure at life?"

"I can't get a girl's attention," Percy confessed. "I bet Malachai could get any woman he wanted and I can't do it. What the hell is wrong with me?"

" _Nothing_ is wrong with you," Helene assured him. "If you can't get this girl, maybe you should just forget about her and move on to someone else."

Percy sighed. "I wish I could," he told her. "You don't know how much. It would be so much easier if I didn't have a warm and caring nature."

"Oh?" Helene asked and raised an eyebrow. "Please explain."

"See, the girl is Elijah and Selina's daughter Stephanie, you know?" Percy continued, eager to tell someone who wasn't Drew. He was a bit biased when it came to his sister so any attempts Percy made to explain that he wanted to bring out the good and more sensitive parts of her were met with a scoff and 'Good luck. I think you're gonna be working hard for nothing, though'. And that wasn't helpful at all. "And I just…I have this feeling that Stephanie is a lot nicer than she lets on, she just doesn't want people to know because she hates the idea of being seen as vulnerable. If I didn't care, I'd be able to just write her off like her brother does and save myself a whole lot of pain." He paused. "Helene, do you think I'm stupid? Do you think I'm putting a lot of effort into something that's just gonna blow up in my face in the end?"

"I think it's nice that you're willing to give Stephanie a chance," Helene said and gave him a hug. "But you have to be careful not to push her too hard too fast. I did that with Adrian and it just ended up pushing us apart. Or at least further from each other than we would have been if I'd been more patient and understanding. I think you should keep trying with her. Even if your being together doesn't end up working out, it would probably be good for her to know she has a friend in her corner. That might be a good start."

"All right," Percy nodded. "I'll think about that. Thank you." He then went to wait in his room until he heard Jill come back and then he went to see her.

"Can I ask you a question?" He wanted to know.

She looked up from her notebook, pushed her curtain of blonde hair out of her eyes, and said, "What sort of question? A question about the future?"

"Yes," Percy sighed. "I'm sorry. I know you hate it when people come asking you for stuff like that."

"Yeah, but since it's you, I'll cut you a break," Jill smiled. "What do you want to know?"

"I want to know if things between Stephanie and me are worth pursuing, or if it'll just be a big waste of my time," Percy replied.

"Didn't we talk about that?" Jill asked. "Didn't I say that you would be with her?"

"I think you did, but…now things aren't looking hopeful and some reinforcement that I'm not giving her attention for nothing could be good." He held out his hand to her. "Please?"

"Oh, all right," Jill nodded and took it. She looked it over and said, "Yep, you're still gonna be with her. But don't expect her to just fall into your arms. It's gonna take some effort. And surprisingly, not all on your part either."

"You mean, she's gonna make an effort to come after _me_ at some point?" Percy asked in amazement, his brown eyes wide. "I don't know if I believe that."

"Well, you should," Jill told him. "It's all right here in your palm."

She let his hand go and Percy stared at his palm. All he saw were a bunch of lines. How in the world Jill got his whole future from that, he had no idea. He then said, "Do you ever wonder what's in store for you? Do you ever think about it?"

"Sometimes I think about it," Jill told him. "I think about what it might be like, sure. Everyone does. But I'd rather not check. I want to be surprised. There are so few surprises in my life that I have to take what I can get. Good luck with Stephanie."

"Thank you," Percy told him. "I'm crazy to keep going after her like this, so I'm going to need it."

* * *

The next day, Percy took a deep breath as he and Drew walked into school. He looked so determined that Drew felt he had to remark on it. "What's going on with you?" He asked.

"I'm going to try and make headway with your sister today," Percy told him. "I know you don't think that's a good idea and I'm being dumb, but I'm doing it anyway!"

"All right," Drew replied. "It's your choice, and I've already told you the probable results of doing something like that, so all I can do now is step away and wish you 'Good luck'."

"Thank you," Percy told him before striding up to Stephanie, who was with a group of her girlfriends. "I'd like to talk to Stephanie _alone_ , please," he told them pointedly. "Go away."

"Make us," one of them replied while the others, including Stephanie, had a chuckle at Percy's expense. Then he growled and made all of them except Stephanie disappear.

"Oh, my god," she said as he took her in his arms. "Where did they go?"

"I have no idea," he replied. "I don't even know if I'll be able to get them back or not. But never mind. You should come to my house for dinner tonight. Fancy dress, I'll do the cooking. See you at eight and don't be late."

Stephanie was so shocked by his change in behavior that all she could do is stutter out, "Okay," before he gave her a kiss and strode off. Then, when he was gone, she leaned against her locker and shut her eyes tight, wondering what in the hell she'd just gotten herself into.

* * *

"How good of a cook are you?" Percy asked Helene as he strode through the door and hung his book bag up on its hook.

"I'm not bad," Helene told him. "You seem like you're in a much better mood than yesterday. What brought that on?"

"I have a date tonight!" Percy said with a smile. "Stephanie said she'd come over for dinner. Will you help me cook it?"

"Of course!" Helene replied. "I'm so proud of you for giving her a chance. I really think you'll be glad you did in the end."

Feeling full of hope, Percy helped Helene cook Stephanie a nice dinner and then got in his best clothes, so he would amaze her when she strode through the door at eight, looking immaculate as she always did. But eight o'clock came and went, and no Stephanie.

"Maybe she's stuck in traffic," Helene guessed. "She'll be here, I'm sure of it.

Then, eight o'clock became nine and Helene went to explain the situation to Malachai and asked if he would talk to his son.

"Of course," Malachai replied. "I would have done it earlier if I'd known what was going on." He went into the dining room where Percy was eating some of the food he and Helene had prepared and looking dejected. "Helene told me what happened," he said. "You wanna talk about it?"

"Thanks, but we don't have to," Percy told him. "I know I was stood up. That or Stephanie saying 'Yes' was all part of a plot so she could tell her friends about it tomorrow and laugh at me. That's probably what it was. I'm nothing but a joke to her. Maybe I'm a joke to _everyone_." He got up and started to walk away, but Malachai grabbed his arm and stopped him.

"No," he said. "Percy, look at me. You are _not_ a joke. You're one of the best people I know and if this girl can't see it, that's her problem. You've done all you can to get through to her. Now it's time to show her what she's missing."

"That's what you'd do in a situation like this?" Percy asked, doing his best not to shed tears in front of his father. He had to show Malachai he was tough.

"You're damn right I would!" Malachai nodded. "When you see this girl tomorrow, you give her a piece of your mind! Tell her that she's not worth your time and you won't be going after her anymore."

"Okay!" Percy nodded, standing up straight and looking resolute. "I'll do it!"

* * *

"I can't believe you," Drew told Stephanie as they talked in Selina's car the next day. "You had a date with Percy last night. He told me all about it and was really excited. And then you didn't go. What the hell is your _problem_?"

"You promised a boy you'd go on a date with him and then backed out?" Selina asked, frowning at her daughter. "Why would you do that to him?"

"Would you both just give me a chance to explain before you yell at me?" Stephanie asked.

"Fine," Selina replied. "Explain. But I don't think I've ever been ashamed of someone like I am of you right now, Stephanie Isabelle."

Stephanie scoffed at her. "I thought you were the parent who was all about giving people time to explain their actions before passing judgment. Now you're just as bad as Dad."

"Are you gonna explain yourself or not?" Selina asked. Normally, she _was_ just the sort of person Stephanie said, but the thought of her daughter abandoning a boy after promising to spend time with him (especially someone like Percy, a boy she _knew_ had a genuine fondness for her daughter) brought her over the line what she considered tolerable. It sent her back to her Lonely Heart days when men would get in relationships with her, make her think they cared, and then rip her heart to pieces in the worst possible way. The thought of her daughter making someone feel that same way was more than she could stand.

"I know it probably won't make you any less ashamed or mad, but…when he asked me, it was just like he was pouncing on me, you know?" Stephanie replied. "He's the sort of guy people make long term commitments to, and he'll expect that from me. I need time to mentally prepare myself. I didn't want to show up at his house and act like a babbling idiot. If he would have given me time to get my thoughts around it, maybe set the date for tonight or tomorrow, I could have gone for it. But he didn't so I…I did what felt right to me and stayed home."

"And did you call him to tell him this?" Selina asked. "That would have been the polite thing to do."

"I couldn't talk to him!" Stephanie cried. "Do you know how stupid that would have made me sound?"

"Well, sounding stupid but being polite is a lot better than being rude," Selina replied. Then, as they pulled into the school parking lot, she parked the car, lay her head back against the headrest and shut her eyes. "You two go inside now," she told them. "I'm gonna need a minute."

"Thank you _so_ much, you asshole!" Stephanie spat at her brother. "Now I'm in trouble with Mom."

"Don't blame me," Drew told her. "It was _your_ actions that pissed Mom off, which is quite an accomplishment, if I may say so. I don't think I've ever seen her so mad. Are you gonna apologize to Percy for ditching him? You should do that."

"Fine, I will," Stephanie replied. "Just go away and leave me alone, all right?"

He did, and when she got to Percy's locker, he was waiting for her. "Hi," she said. "I wanted to explain about last night. About why I didn't come."

"No need," Percy spat, his voice getting louder and louder with every word so that people walking by stared. "I know _exactly_ what you're going to tell me, and it's all bullshit. I don't believe a single word of it. The reason why you promised to come and then didn't was so you could tell all your little friends and then you can laugh about what a stupid, sentimental idiot I am. You can do that, fine. But I'm done now. I won't give you reason to laugh at me anymore. I've tried _so_ hard to show you that there's someone in your life who cares. Who'll give you the benefit of the doubt and try and see the good person that I thought was in you until last night. Now I know that underneath the make-up and perfect clothes is the meanest, cruelest, most heartless girl I've ever met. Are you proud? Answer me that, Stephanie!"

"If you'll just calm down, I will!" Stephanie told him. "Why the hell won't anyone _listen_ to me?"

"Cause you don't say anything worth listening to," Percy replied, then literally spat at her before shoving her aside and striding off. His yelling had made the whole hallway go silent, but once he was gone, everyone around her erupted into excited whispering that was clearly about her. Feeling as if everything was crashing down around her, Stephanie ran for the bathroom and sobbed in a stall for the rest of the day before zipping home and throwing herself down on her bed to cry some more.

* * *

"Well, look who finally came back to visit me," Ian said as Samantha knocked on his bedroom door and poked her head in. "You're so busy with your boyfriend that I thought you'd forgotten about your brother."

"Forgetting about you is the last thing on my mind," Samantha said with a smile. "In fact, you're about to wish I was _more_ forgetful." She then pushed someone into his room and Ian groaned.

"Oh, damn!" He said when saw Ethan. "What the hell is he doing here?"

"I thought the two of you could talk because you're clearly not seeing anyone at the moment," Samantha explained. "I hate the idea of me seeing someone and you being all alone."

"Well, then at least let me choose who I date, for fuck's sake!" Ian cried.

But Samantha just sat down. "Why don't you two go out and talk?" Samantha suggested. "if things don't go well, I'll let it go."

"I'll do it," Ethan said, his dark eyes glinting.

"I will too," Ian said. "But only because I know it's the way to get my sister off my back. Let's go."

"Have a good time!" Samantha called after them as Ian pulled Ethan roughly to his feet and dragged him out of the room, not noticing when Ethan turned his head and she gave him an encouraging wink.

* * *

"Are we actually gonna _do_ something?" Ethan asked once they were on Ian's motorcycle and speeding away from the house.

"We have to," Ian yelled over the roar of the engine. "My sister won't leave us alone until we do."

"Well, what do you suggest?" Ethan asked. "Dinner?"

"No," Ian shook his head. "I have something much less conventional in mind." He wouldn't say more and when they parked in the lot of a nearby sports arena, Ethan groaned. "It would be too much to expect that we're going to see a tennis match, right?" he asked and made a face as he noticed an oil stain on his new brown loafers. "Damn," he muttered. "I just got these!"

"No, we're not seeing tennis," Ian smiled, his dark eyes bright. "It's boxing. I had tickets that I'm not gonna waste just because my sister is an insufferable busybody."

"Boxing?" Ethan asked, stepping back a little, his own dark eyes uncertain. "You mean that sport where people just beat each other up until one of them falls down?"

"Exactly!" Ian said and put an arm around him. "We'll have hot dogs and beer, and even if you don't have a great time, _I_ will. That's the most important thing."

"Yes," Ethan sighed, wishing very fervently that he was at home curled up with a bowl of popcorn and the showing of _Pirates of Penzance_ that he'd recorded yesterday. That would have been _much_ more enjoyable than watching two men beat the crap out of each other. But then again, he thought as he tried to find a silver lining, boxing was one of the few sports, or maybe even the only one, where he could stare at muscular, shirtless men for hours and not a single person would find it strange. That was the good side, he told himself as Ian handed him a couple of beers. He would just hang on to that and hopefully it would get him through the matches without making him lose his mind.


	29. The Cost Of Pride

"Okay, time to get up," Selina said as she came into her daughter's room and opened the curtains. "I let you sleep in today for some reason, but now you really _do_ have to get out of bed and get ready for school."

"Do I have to?" Stephanie and turned her body so she was face down on her pillow. "I think I'd rather stay home."

"After how you behaved yesterday, I wouldn't blame you," Selina told her. "That poor boy. But avoiding it won't help anything. You need to see him today and apologize."

"You think he'll listen to me after that?" Stephanie asked, sitting up. "What's the point in apologizing if no one will listen to me apologize? And why do you have to keep beating this dead horse anyway? I told you I was sorry. What more do you want from me?"

"I want you to _mean_ it," Selina replied firmly. "I want you to realize how your actions affect others and that being hurtful is not a good way to behave. Do you realize that, Stephanie?"

"Well, after Percy yelled at me, I felt worse than I've ever felt in my whole life cause I knew he was right," Stephanie told her mother. "Is that realizing it?"

Selina sat down next to her, a small smile on her lips. "Maybe. And could another reason you felt bad be because there's a part of you that _does_ like him?"

"Just a minute," Stephanie told her. "Let's not go that far."

"All right," Selina said and gave a knowing nod. "I'll play along." She got up and headed to the door and when she put her hand on the doorknob, Stephanie asked her to pause.

"I don't know what to do with him," she got out. "At first, I just thought he was this huge nerd who was obsessed with me, and who wants to be with someone like that? And then when I was…when I was badmouthing him, I made the mistake of kissing him and…"

"And you felt something then?" Selina supplied. "What sort of something? Butterflies? Your whole body being warm? A feeling of well-being?"

"Well, first I felt the butterflies, and then it was like I really needed to throw up," Stephanie told her. "That can't mean I like him, can it?"

"It means you like kissing him at any rate," Selina replied. "At least that's what it sounds like. Now, whether or not you like him as a person seems to be something that you still need to discover, but it seems like you're on your way to finding that out."

"Yeah, I guess," Stephanie nodded. "I'm gonna get dressed now," she said. "I'll be down to breakfast soon."

"All right," Selina nodded. "Thank you. And…thank you for opening up to me. I know that it can be difficult at your age with this particular subject."

"You're welcome," Stephanie told her, blushing furiously.

Selina left her to dress in peace then and went back downstairs to eat with Drew and Elijah.

"Is she all right?" Elijah asked about his daughter. "Will she be coming down to join us?"

"Yeah," Selina nodded. "In a little while." She then turned to Drew. "How's Percy doing after yesterday? Is he all right?"

"Oh, you better believe it!" Drew assured his mother with a wide grin. "It was like that patient façade of his finally shattered into a thousand pieces! He really let her have it, and it's not a moment too soon, if you ask me. I was beginning to worry that he was just gonna let her stomp all over him because he loved her so much."

"But you'll let this be a matter between your sister and Percy, won't you Andrew?" Elijah asked him, eyebrow raised. "You won't make things more difficult for your sister and Percy than they already are?"

"Of course not," Drew told him. "Unless Percy asks me for help, which I don't think he will, I'll keep my mouth shut."

"And don't mock your sister either," Elijah added. "That should go without saying."

"Yes," Drew nodded and took a bite of eggs. "Of course."

They then made a silent agreement to act normal when Stephanie came downstairs and not pepper her with questions or more remarks about what had gone on with her and Percy the day before, which was something she was grateful for when she finally got downstairs.

They were silent until Elijah cleared his throat and said, "You look very nice this morning, Stephanie."

"Thank you," Stephanie mumbled and smoothed the skirt of her dark blue dress. "This is new. I just got it a few days ago." She then busied herself with pouring a bowl of cereal and though a few more attempts to start a conversation were made, they didn't really go anywhere until finally, everyone just decided to put their dishes in the sink and head to school.

* * *

"Stephanie seemed kind of quiet in class today," Elijah remarked when Selina came to his classroom to have lunch with him. "Usually she has her hand up for every question but today she was sinking in her chair and avoiding eye contact as if she hoped I _wouldn't_ call on her. Do you think she's having a problem?"

"Yeah," Selina nodded. "Usual relationship troubles. I think what happened with Percy is really bothering her, which it should. It's nothing we need to worry about too much. I've already said something to her and I think we should just leave it alone from here on out."

"Well, what happened?" Elijah asked.

"Percy invited her to dinner the other night and she didn't go after she promised him that she would. Poor boy was humiliated. I'm glad he gave her a piece of his mind. And maybe it would be best for both of them if he gave up on her. If he sticks with her after all that, he's a saint." She paused and smiled at him. "As you were with me."

"Stephanie seems to be at least starting to learn the meaning of humility," Elijah said. "And if you and I can get through what we did and still end up liking each other, I think there may be hope for Stephanie after all."

* * *

Little did her parents know that while they were conversing about her, Stephanie was actually trying to do what she'd promised and make things up to Percy. After selecting her lunch, she went over to Drew and Percy's table and asked her brother to scoot over one so she could sit next to Percy instead.

"Why?" Drew asked. "What are you gonna do if I let you? Throw his lunch on the floor?"

"No, you idiot!" Stephanie frowned at her brother. "I want to eat with you guys!"

"Do you genuinely want to?" Percy asked. "Or do you just not want me to be mad anymore, so you're doing this out of pity?"

"Iisten, who gives a shit why?" Stephanie asked impatiently. "You'll never know if I can be sincere or not unless you give me a chance to be. What do I have to do to get you to believe I have good intentions? Get down on my knees and beg?"

"Yes, please," Percy smiled. "Go ahead and do it right now."

Stephanie's jaw dropped a little. "Wait, you actually _want_ me to? No, that's humiliating! And it's bad enough that you yelled at me in front of everyone yesterday."

"All right, fine," Percy sighed and ate a spoonful of mashed potatoes. "It's your choice, though. If you were willing to humble yourself I would truly believe that you care and are sorry, but I guess not."

"You are such a weasel!" Stephanie told him and then frowned at her brother. "Did you put him up to this just so you both could have a laugh?"

"No, I didn't," Drew told her earnestly. "As hard as it may be to believe, there's more to my life than thinking of plots to humiliate you. Now, I would start begging soon if I were you. Your lunch is probably getting cold." They then waited and Stephanie wavered back and forth between actually considering getting down and begging like they wanted her to, or refusing and waiting until she could talk to Percy in private without her brother egging him on to humiliate her.

Finally, though, her pride won out. "No," she told them firmly. "As much as I want to apologize, I won't beg. I won't be humiliated just because I made a mistake. Percy, I really _do_ want to apologize to you, and I'll be more than happy to do it in private when you don't have my idiot brother egging you on. How about after school? Meet you at my locker?"

Percy gave a barely perceptible nod and then watched as Stephanie strode off to eat her lunch alone at another table. After a few seconds, he turned back to her brother. "Do you think we were too hard on her? Sometimes I let power go to my head and I just…she _seems_ sorry."

Drew shrugged. "All right. Go to her locker then and if she shows up and genuinely apologizes, then you'll have a better idea of where to go from there, won't you?"

"Yeah," Percy nodded, his eyes going back to Stephanie eating alone. "I guess I will."

* * *

For all his defending of her, Percy was genuinely surprised (and not just a little pleased) when he went to her locker at the end of the day and found her standing there waiting for him just like she'd promised she would.

"You're here this time," he remarked. "Thank you. It's nice to know that I didn't come all the way over here for nothing."

"Well, I owe it to you, don't I?" Stephanie sighed. "Look, I'm very sorry about ditching you for dinner the other night. I just…I was really overwhelmed by the thought of going out with someone who seems to care for me so much. I don't know why I have such an issue putting myself out there for people, I just do. So if…if you want us to be anything, you'll have to be patient with me. Do you think you can do that?"

"If I know that you're trying and not just taking advantage of my good will, then yes," Percy nodded. "I think I could."

"Great!" Stephanie actually managed to give him a smile. But let's…let's start slow, though. Maybe be friends first?"

"All right, friends," Percy nodded and shook her hand. "I'm really glad we were able to talk like this."

"Yeah," Stephanie nodded and then opened her locker to get some of her books. "Me too."

Percy saw the pile she took out and said, "Would you like me to carry at least some of those for you?"

"Sure, I would love that," Stephanie replied, handing him a few and then following him as they walked in the direction of the parking lot. "Thank you. Thank you very much."

* * *

"Are you smiling?" Samantha asked Ian as she watched her brother dress. "You had a good time with Ethan the other night. Come on, tell me I'm right."

"It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be," Ian conceded. "I took him to the fights."

Samantha chuckled. "You're kidding, right? I can't see that guy at a boxing match."

"Well, I have to give the guy props for making it through in one piece," he told her. "Although at one point, a guy's tooth got knocked out and there was blood and Ethan looked like he was gonna be sick."

"Because of blood?" Samantha asked. "What kind of vampire is he?"

"A delicate one, apparently," Ian shrugged.

"Did he make you kiss him goodnight?" Samantha questioned.

"That's none of your business," Ian told her firmly.

"Did you set up another date?" Samantha took another stab at getting more information out of him. "Please tell me you did and you let him pick the place so you have to go to the opera or something!"

"When I want to tell you something about my personal life, I'll decide what it is, thank you," Ian told her, a smirk on his lips. "Don't you have a boyfriend you need to be getting home to?"

"Yes, but I wanted to see how things turned out," Samantha nodded. "Can you blame me?"

"Yes," Ian nodded irritably and zipped up his pants. "Can you just go now?"

"Fine," Samantha nodded. "But being with someone is supposed to make you nicer, not a bigger pain in the ass."

She left before he could say anything else to her and once she was gone, he let out a sigh of relief and left his room.

"Have you spoken to your sister lately?" Victoria asked him. "Not that she needs a babysitter or anything, but I'm worried I haven't heard anything from her."

"She's around," Ian said. "She's setting me up on blind dates and stuff."

"Really?" Kai said as he shut the refrigerator door and, milk in hand, took a gulp from the carton before carrying it back to the table.

"Wait a minute," Victoria said. "How full was that carton? We talked about you drinking from the carton and said you could only do it if it was practically empty."

"I don't even know why we made that rule, Vicky," Kai told her. "It's not like I'm going to give you germs, or anything.

"But the backwash," Victoria shuddered. "That could be full of your spit!"

"So's your mouth after we kiss, but I don't see you complaining then," Kai shot back. He then zapped Victoria up a full carton of milk and put his name on the one he'd drunk from before turning his attention back to Ian. "What's the guy your sister set you up with like?"

"He's a bit boring," Ian said. "But I can work with him. There's potential there."

"Well, that's nice," Victoria smiled. "Good for you!"

They watched Ian gulp down his breakfast and then disappear again.

"That was fun," Kai remarked and then looked at the clock. "Shit, I was supposed to be at Adrian's ten minutes ago!"

"You're going there to spend time with your friend, right?" Victoria asked. "Not just to spy on him and Molly?"

"Of course," Kai replied and kissed her. "Bye, Vicky. See you later."

* * *

Meanwhile, Ian was preparing to go out when his cell phone rang. "Yes?" He asked.

"Hi, Ian," said a voice on the other end of the line that surprised him. "It's Ethan. I wondered if you wanted to meet me for lunch today or just walk around or something?"

"Sure, why not?" Ian chuckled. "After last time, I honestly thought I'd never hear from you again."

"I'm made of stronger stuff than you think," Ethan told him.

"Really?" Ian asked, his mind wandering and thinking about what preppy Ethan would look like in leather. "Maybe we could go shopping a little."

"Sure," Ethan agreed. "Cause I really think you could use some nice shirts. You won't get much of anywhere if the only shirts you own have vulgar slogans on them."

"Let me buy you a leather jacket and then maybe, just _maybe_ I'll let you get me a preppy shirt or two," Ian said. "How long until you wanna meet?"

"Two hours," Ethan told him. "Meet me at the benches outside my office on 34 and Park."

"All right," Ian nodded. "I'll be there."

* * *

"I don't know about this," Ethan said as he looked at himself in the mirror. The jacket was a bit tight on him and frankly it looked more than a little ridiculous. "This doesn't seem like me at all. And it doesn't fit properly either."

"How?" Ian asked with a sigh.

"It's too tight through the shoulders," Ethan complained. "I can barely move my arms!"

"All right," Ian said and together they worked to peel the jacket off him and get him the next size up.

"There," Ian said once it was on him. "Better?"

"Yes," Ethan nodded. "But I still don't think I like it."

"Well, don't worry," Ian said with a smile. "It's not like you'll ever have to wear it in public."

"What?" Ethan asked, his cheeks coloring a little. "You mean you got me this for…?"

"Of course!" Ian replied. "Have you never done it before?"

"Yes," Ethan nodded. "I was married and then my husband cheated on me, if you must know."

"But why are you blushing then?" Ian asked.

"Because I don't think we should be shouting about that stuff in public," Ethan replied. "Not when that kind of conversation is meant for behind closed bedroom doors."

"Fine," Ian sighed and then reached out to stroke the sleeve of the jacket. "You really do look good though."

"Thank you," Ethan said. "Now you have to fulfill your end of the deal and come with me to look at button down shirts."

"Fine," Ian told him. "But I can't be seen in them in public."

"I'm sure you'll want to be once you know how good you look in them," Ethan smiled. "Just trust me, will you?"


	30. Time To Start Over

"So how was school?" Selina asked Stephanie that night. "Did you apologize to Percy?"

"Yeah, I did," Stephanie nodded. "We decided that we're gonna start off by being friends."

"Well, that's good," Selina smiled and hugged her. "I'm so proud of you."

"I thought it was at the time, but now I'm starting to get scared again," Stephanie confessed. "I don't wanna be, but I am."

"What is there to be scared of?" Selina wanted to know.

"You wouldn't get it," Stephanie told her. "You wouldn't know what it feels like to be so insecure that the only way you feel good about yourself is by inventing a persona that makes people fear you, or treat you with reverence cause you know they'll hate the real you."

"I _do_ know," Selina replied, taking her daughter in her arms and stroking her hair. "I felt like that for years. I-you ever hear your dad or your Uncle Klaus talk about someone called Lonely Heart, that was me. I felt so hungry for recognition and a need to feel like I mattered that I just…I murdered a bunch of people. I kept myself at a distance. I didn't realize it at the time, but now I know that's not the way to live your life. I only hope you figure it out in a different way than I did. It will save you a lot of misery if you do."

"But it's so _hard_ ," Stephanie told her.

"I know it is," Selina nodded. "But you can do it. You come from lots of brave people. Lots of brave and important people." She then stood up and said, "Well, I'm gonna go think about what to do for dinner now, so you think this over, okay? Please?"

"I will," Stephanie told her. "I promise."

Selina left then and Stephanie sighed. Her mother might think she was helping her, reminding her of all her illustrious family members, but instead of making her feel _better_ , it was even more of a reminder that she had a family reputation to uphold and that just being nice wouldn't help keep it up.

* * *

The next day, although she knew it was dumb and that her mother would sorely disapprove, Stephanie made the choice to undo the progress she'd made with Percy. It was better for both of them at this point. She had to be friends with him when she was good and ready, not just because he wanted her to be. She met up with some of her girlfriends after she arrived at school and when they reached her locker and found Percy there, Stephanie said, "What are you doing here? I didn't tell you that you could come here."

"Yes, you did!" Percy told her. "We made plans, remember? You said 'Meet me at my locker before school tomorrow so we can talk."

"I don't think I would do that," Stephanie told him. "You must be mistaken."

"Yeah," one of her friends said. "Stephanie wouldn't want anything to do with a dork like you!" They waited to see what Stephanie would do then. She took the flowers Percy held in his hand and stomped on them before laughing loudly, turning on their heels, and walking away. When they were gone, Stephanie quickly ran back to him to apologize.

"I'm sorry," she got out. "It's just…they were waiting for me to say something and I couldn't be nice to you in front of them. What would they think?"

"You expect me to feel sorry for you?" Percy asked. "Did you come up with this idea of us being friends just so you could have the pleasure of humiliating me again?"

"No!" Stephanie shook her head. "I know that's what it seems like, but….I do what I do with you because you scare the hell out of me. I'm terrified that you're gonna find out who I really am and then go find someone smarter or nicer."

"Well, you're right on that count," Percy told her and then turned as Drew approached. "Have a nice life. And next time you think you want to ask me to be friends, don't bother. I won't be suckered in by your words anymore."

"What did you do to him?" Drew whispered to her angrily. "How many times do you think you can hurt him? He's a nice guy and he doesn't deserve any more of your bullshit. You stay away from him, do you understand?"

"You don't need to tell me that," Stephanie replied. "It's not like he's going to let me near him anymore anyway."

"And he shouldn't," Drew told her firmly before leading an angry Percy away as Stephanie stood by her locker and tried not to cry.

* * *

In the following days, Stephanie tried to do everything she could to forget what she'd done to Percy. She felt terrible, and the fact that he locked eyes with her and gave her a very hurt expression every time they were in the same room made her feel worse. She wanted to talk to someone about it, but didn't know who because she knew her brother would have no sympathy, her mother would express nothing but disappointment, and her father, well…there were things she knew she could talk to her father about, but her love life and school problems were not those things.

Finally, she just decided to repress it, to try and forget. She began sneaking beers when her parents weren't home, drinking just enough to make her forget, but not enough to make them suspicious, or so she thought. Then one day, the housekeeper came up to Selina with a bag of the empty bottles.

"I found them in Stephanie's room, Ms. Warren," she said gravely. "Did you know about this?"

"No, Ginger, I didn't, but thank you for letting me know," Selina told her. "Thank you so much." She took the bag of bottles and waited with them in Stephanie's room so they could talk about just what was going on with her and what could be done to fix it.

* * *

"Hi, Mom," Stephanie said, trying to stay nonchalant when she saw the bag her mother held. "What have you got in there?"

"Nothing, Stephanie Isabelle," Selina told her and set it down. "Just a bunch of empty beer bottles that Ginger found in your room. How long have you been drinking?"

"Just…just since this stuff happened with Percy," Stephanie sighed. "I feel really bad about what I did to him and it didn't seem like I had anyone to talk to about it, so I tried to forget instead."

Selina looked up at her, an old adage going through her mind: _If you wanna forget something, just drink until you pass out. Then, you'll be so hungover in the morning, you won't think about your problems at that point either… "_ No!" She told her daughter firmly and threw the bag down making some of the empty bottles knock together. "Don't do that. It's not good for you. I know I make jokes about it sometimes, but I'm going to stop because I don't want you dealing with the problems the way I've always done and the way your grandmother did. Drinking your problems away isn't the answer."

"All right," Stephanie nodded, crossing her arms. "So tell me…how much trouble am I in for stealing your beer?"

Selina just gave her a long look, shook her head, and then pulled her into her arms, squeezing her tight. "I'm…I'm not mad at you," she said. "Yelling isn't going to help this. I'm just so sorry that I made you feel like you couldn't talk to me without being judged."

"So I'm not in trouble?" Stephanie asked when Selina pulled away.

"Not in the sense that I'm gonna ground you or yell at you," Selina told her. "Cause I know you're not doing this to be nasty or spiteful. You're doing this because you have genuine troubles that need fixing, so the best thing to do is help you fix those troubles. Give you someone to talk to who knows what you're going through."

"Is it you?" Stephanie asked.

"No, it's not me," Selina shook her head. "And how we're gonna deal with this is that you're gonna start coming to the book club I have with your grandmother. And you're gonna talk with us and I really think it will help you."

"You think?" Stephanie wanted to know. "How?"

"You'll find out," Selina told her.

* * *

"She what?" Amelia asked in shock after Selina explained to her at school the next day about what had happened between Stephanie and Percy. "She let that boy down? Why would she do that? He'd be so good for her!"

"She thinks that being with him would be bad for her image," Selina said to her mother. "That if she went out with a boy like Percy, she'd be letting down both sides of her illustrious family."

"Oh, dear god," Amelia replied and slowly sank down in her chair. "The poor girl! You have to talk some sense into her! That's no way to think!"

"I thought it would mean more coming from you than from me," Selina said. "Would you tell her about the long-term benefits of following your heart vs. the pain and misery of doing what everyone wants you to do just for a little security?"

"Yes," Amelia sighed and gazed lovingly at the photo of Andrew that was on her desk. "I guess I'll have to, won't I?"

* * *

"Mom said you wanted to see me," Stephanie told her grandmother as she came into Amelia's empty classroom. "Am I in trouble?"

"Not about your schoolwork, no," Amelia shook her head. "I'm proud to say that that is exemplary. But I confess I'm very concerned about how you're handling your social life and choosing to placate your friends at the expense of a boy who seems to genuinely like you."

"Well, I don't think he does anymore," Stephanie replied. "I really screwed that up."

"Maybe you did, maybe you didn't," Amelia told her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Maybe there's a way to fix things between you."

"I don't know if I can," Stephanie told her. "I know what I would have to do, and it just…it scares me."

"Yes," Amelia nodded thoughtfully. "Leaving behind what's comfortable and what you get approval for to go onto what makes you happy can be a very scary thing. I did it, though. It took a long time, but I did it."

"And were you happier after?" Stephanie wanted to know.

"Are you kidding me?" Amelia asked. "I was happier than I'd ever been in my whole life. When my parents passed away, I was nearly thirty, I was a single mother, I was a lady, and yet I chose to carry on an affair openly with a man who wasn't my husband and damn it, it made me happy!"

"And you didn't care what other people thought?" Stephanie asked in amazement.

"I thought I would, but….I was so happy that it didn't matter," Amelia told her. "Every time someone looked at me and whispered something, I just shrugged it off because I knew I was happier than they were cause they had nothing better to do with themselves than stick their noses in other people's business."

"Do you think if I be with Percy, I'll feel that way too?" Stephanie wanted to know.

"I don't know for sure," Amelia said and gave her a hug. "But it has to be better than sneaking drinks and being crushed under the weight of other people's expectations, doesn't it? Cause you're not happy right now, are you?"

"No," Stephanie shook her head, realizing this was true after a few seconds of thought. "No, I'm not. So what have I got to lose, really?"

"Nothing, from what I see," Amelia told her. "I know this might be a scary thing for you to do, but I wish you the best of luck."

"Thank you," Stephanie told her grandmother. "Thank you so much!"

* * *

As the school day ended, Stephanie purposely took a route to her locker that made her go by Percy's. "H!" She said, meeting his eyes and smiling widely. "I hope you had a good day, Percy!" She then strode off as Percy stared after her. Had she spoken to him in a confident voice? Had she smiled? Was there a spring in her step? He felt a surge of hope for a moment, then the voice in his head said, "Don't fall for it. It's probably just another trick," and he shook his head and went back to putting his books in his locker.

After she got all her things, she went to meet her mother and said, "Can we make some brownies for me to surprise Percy with tomorrow?"

"Sure," Selina nodded. "That sounds nice."

"Don't bother," Drew told her dismissively. "He's mad at you; he won't take them."

"Well, then all the more brownies for us," Stephanie told her brother. "But it wouldn't hurt to try and reach out, would it?"

Drew just sighed, shook his head, and climbed into the backseat of the car, shutting it after him.

* * *

"Hi, everyone!"

The voice made Selina and Stephanie pause stirring the batter for the brownies they were making for Percy and look toward the door where, to Stephanie's surprise, her older brother Ethan stood.

"Come in!" Selina smiled. "I'd come over and hug you, but I'm covered in batter at the moment."

"You're making brownies?" Ethan asked, coming to stand behind them. "What for?"

"They're apology brownies for a boy in Stephanie's class that she seems to have a habit of infuriating," Selina told him.

"It's not that I want to hate him on purpose," Stephanie told her brother. "I just need time to wrap my head around the fact that someone as great as him wanted me in his life. If he would just give me a chance to do that, things would be good."

"I know how you feel," Ethan told her. "I met a new guy finally and we're at the point where we're getting to know each other. It's a bit daunting because he doesn't seem like the sort of guy who'd like a guy like me."

"Why is it that all my children feel that way?" Selina asked. "You're all great!" She smiled. "So…what's he like? What's his name? Is he human? He's not human is he?"

"No," Ethan shook his head. "I think he's a warlock."

"A warlock?" Stephanie smiled. "How exciting!"

"You know, the guy Stephanie likes is a warlock too," Selina remarked. "We could use more in this family."

"Well, the thing about Ian is he spent a lot of time in an asylum because his human parents didn't know what to do with his powers," Ethan replied as he came to help his sister put the brownies in the pan.

"Poor boy," Selina shook her head. "You know, when I was a girl and people thought I was getting more uppity than was common for the time, my grandparents talked about having me put away. But Mama wouldn't let them. One of the things I don't give her credit for that I should."

"Your grandparents were gonna put you in a mental asylum?" Stephanie asked, wide-eyed.

"Yep," Selina sighed. "The things people will do to maintain a family image, huh?"

"Yeah," Stephanie nodded, feeling very grateful all of a sudden that she was taking her grandmother's advice and working more on being herself. "Definitely." She turned to her brother. "So…when are we gonna meet this guy?"

"I don't know," Ethan shrugged. "We're not even really that together, yet. Definitely not at the 'meet the family' stage, even though it's his sister who's pushing us to get together. It might end up just being a casual thing so you may never meet him at all."

"But if we ever do, we'll do it with open arms," Selina told Ethan firmly. "I want you to know that."

"I do," Ethan nodded. "Thanks, Mom. He took me to a boxing match the other night."

"You went to boxing?" Selina asked. "Good for you! Who won?"

"Some guy named McNalley, I think," Ethan told her. "I don't really know.

"McNally won?" Selina asked. "Good for him! I've been rooting for him forever! Every time there's a match on, Roxie shows it at the bar and I try to get down and see it."

"Well," Ethan cleared his throat. "Ian likes boxing and you like boxing and you want to meet him, so…maybe if I asked him, I could get him to get an extra ticket for you?"

"That would be fun!" Selina smiled. "Do you think he'd hate having a chaperon?"

"You wouldn't be a chaperon," Ethan shook his head. "You'd just be another person out to see a good night of boxing."

"Yes," Selina nodded as she turned the oven on and Stephanie went to sit by her brother. "Tell him exactly that."

"I'm happy you're seeing someone else," Stephanie told him.

"Thank you," Ethan said and hugged her. "And good luck with this guy of yours. What's his name?"

"Percy," Stephanie said. "Kind of a dorky name and he has some dorky hobbies, like playing chess and stuff, but he's nice, so it's worth it."

"And it's not dorky to play chess," Ethan told her. "Lots of people do!"

"Right," Stephanie nodded, blushing a little. "Sorry."


	31. The Only One For Me

"I don't know if I should take the brownies to school tomorrow," Stephanie said as she watched her mother wrap them up nice like she'd done at her bakery and then tie them up with a big red bow. "It was a stupid idea. He probably won't even take them."

"Well, that's the tough part of your relationship now," Selina told her. "Percy's done all he can to show you that he wants you, you rejected it, you pissed him off, and now the ball's in your court. It's up to _you_ to show him what he's missing."

"But what's the point if he doesn't accept me?" Stephanie asked. "What if I try and try and it doesn't work?"

"Well, you take it as a life lesson about how to treat people and then use your new outlook on life to find someone else who's nice," Selina shrugged.

"Hey," Drew remarked as he came to grab one of the brownies from a batch that was yet to be wrapped off the plate. "I want one of those."

"Let it go, please," Stephanie told her brother. "Those are for Percy, not you. Remember?"

"Oh, yeah," Drew smirked. "The bribery brownies. I remember."

"They aren't bribery brownies," Stephanie corrected. "They're apology brownies for the bad way I behaved before."

"But you're giving them to him in the hopes that once he has them, he'll like you again," Drew pointed out. "So therefore, they're bribery brownies."

"Drew, leave your sister alone," Selina told him firmly. "She's really trying to do better by him, and we should support her."

"Did she help you make them, or did you do it all by yourself?" Drew asked.

"I helped!" Stephanie told him. "And didn't you hear Mom tell you to lay off me?"

"Look, brownies!" Elijah remarked as he came into the kitchen. "May I have one of these?"

"What do you think?" Selina asked, looking at her daughter. "Should we let him have one?"

"Sure," Stephanie nodded. "Go ahead and have one, Daddy. We can spare it."

"How come _he_ gets one and I don't," Drew asked.

"Cause he _asked_ first and wasn't grabby," Stephanie told her brother. "That's why."

"All right, enough!" Selina told them. "We have to get going now, or we're gonna be late."

So Stephanie grabbed the brownies and then they all headed to school, with Stephanie thinking of how she couldn't wait to see Percy.

* * *

"Hi," Stephanie greeted Percy when they ran into each other in the hallway a few minutes after she walked through the school doors.

"Hello," Percy replied, trying not to look at her.

"How are you today?" Stephanie asked.

"I'm not bad," Percy replied. He kept walking, and then quickened his pace to a jog so that he was some distance away from her.

"Just a minute!" She cried and ran after him. "I made you some brownies! Will you stay still long enough for me to give them to you?"

"Did you make them for me as a bribe?" Percy asked, finally stopping and turning around fast to face her. "Cause Drew told me you might."

"No, it's not a bribe," Stephanie told him. "I made them for you because I'm genuinely sorry for what I did and I want to show it."

Percy just stared at her, snatched the brownies from her hands, dropped them on the floor, stomped on them a bit, and then threw them in the trash. "If you want to show me you're sorry, try something else," he told her firmly. "Because as you can see, I'm not convinced. And until you think of a genuine way to apologize, stay the hell away from me. I mean it." He strode off as Drew came up behind a shocked and hurt Stephanie.

"Can I assume that didn't go well?" He asked.

Stephanie didn't need to look at him. She could hear the smugness in his voice and that was enough.

"Fine," she said. "Go ahead and laugh at me. Go ahead and laugh at the person who's trying _so_ hard to make things right and getting nowhere. Or better yet, why don't you _help_ me? Tell me what I'm doing wrong. He's _your_ friend. You know him better than I do."

"No," Drew shook his head, his blue eyes downright gleeful. "I'm _not_ gonna help you. In fact, I'm _glad_ that he doesn't like you anymore. Give him time to hate you without forcing him to like you just because that's what _you_ want. If you really want him to like you, show him a person worth liking and make it clear that even then, it doesn't matter whether he likes you or not, as long as he's happy, okay?"

"Fine," Stephanie sighed. "I guess I'll try it your way. Even though it'll take longer and drive me crazy."

"It'll be worth it if it pans out," Drew replied. "I promise."

He then strode off and Stephanie sighed, lifting up the trash lid and mourning the now-flat brownies that she and her mother had labored so hard to make the night before.

* * *

"Those smell like my former mother-in-law's brownies," Helene remarked as Percy came into the house after school and she gave a sniff before running to the door. "Did you make them in class today?"

"Actually, they were made _for_ me," Percy told her. "A bribe from Stephanie. I don't know if you want to eat them, though. They may look pretty but they spent some time smashed on the floor and in the trash before I fixed them up again when she wasn't looking."

"But why would you smash perfectly good brownies on the floor and then throw them in the trash?" Helene asked before she took a couple of brownies and popped a piece of one in her mouth. "Yep," she said after letting herself taste them for a few seconds. "Selina's still got it. These are good as always."

"It's the principle of the thing, Helene!" Percy replied as they walked to the sofa. "I can't just let her bribe all the pain she put me through away with one plate of brownies, can I?"

"Well, just what _is_ your price, then?" Helene asked, picking another brownie from the plate and taking a bite.

"Being treated with the same consideration I showed her," Percy said firmly. "And the knowledge that she won't treat me like crap five minutes later because she can't make up her mind whether she likes me or not. That's not too much to ask for, is it?"

"No, it's not," Helene told him. "And I hope she rises to the challenge."

"I hope so too," Percy nodded. "Cause I really like her."

"She will," Jill assured him as she strode in. "Don't worry. You know this. I told you."

"Yeah, I know you did," Percy told her. "But in actual practice, it's hard to believe sometimes." He then reached for a brownie and ate it. "You know, these really aren't bad," he remarked. "I like them."

"Of course you do," Helene nodded and took a few to give to Malachai. "Cause they're awesome."

* * *

"I can't believe Percy just threw the brownies away after we went to all that trouble to make them," Stephanie complained to her mother. "What more do I need to do to please him? I mean, Drew told me I should become someone worth knowing, but I don't know what the hell that means!"

"Maybe part of the reason why you're not clicking with him despite your best efforts is that he's intimidated by you and associates your look and demeanor with being snobby," Selina suggested. "Maybe it would be easier for him to connect with you if you lightened up a bit."

"And how would I do that?" Stephanie wanted to know.

"Well, your dad's not home right now so I can show you," Selina smiled. "But don't tell him I showed you this or he'll kill me. Cause what you're about to see kind of embarrasses him."

Intrigued, Stephanie followed her mother into her parents' bedroom and up to a chest of drawers. "What's in there?" She questioned. "Your stuff? Cause all of Dad's things would be hanging up." But then she gasped when Selina opened one of the drawers and pulled out a few t-shirts and then another that showed her father owned a pair or two of jeans.

"What the hell did he get those for?" Stephanie asked. "I've never seen him wear those in my life!"

"Well, he usually only wears them for me and no one else, but the point is, that when he dresses like that, he seems much more approachable and relaxed, and not so intimidating," Selina told her. "Maybe you could give a more casual look a shot and see how it goes."

"All right, I guess I could," Stephanie shrugged. "I'll try anything at this point. But we'll have to buy me some. I don't own anything like that."

Selina pulled out a few of her dresses and asked her daughter to try them on. "You look like you're about my size," she commented. "See how those work."

So Stephanie dutifully tried on several of Selina's dresses, shirts, shoes, and pants, and after it was all done, she said, "Well, they all seemed to fit reasonably well, but I think I want stuff with more sedate patterns than you have."

"I thought you'd say that," Selina nodded. "And it's perfect timing because Mama was telling me _she_ wanted to experiment with a more casual wardrobe as well, so I could take you both and we can shop, shop, shop! That'll be fun, don't you think?"

"Sure!" Stephanie nodded. Most kids hated the idea of shopping with their mothers, she knew, but her mother had good fashion sense, even if they were polar opposites when it came to the sort of patterns or lack thereof that they preferred, so she knew she would get things she actually would wear, and not just stuff that was boring, or too out there. "When do we go?"

* * *

"Hi, Percy," Stephanie said a few days later as Percy got things out of his locker. It was the first thing she'd said to him since the brownie incident and he was beginning to enjoy the silence. He was about to give her a sharp remark, but when he got a good look at her, he hit his head on the locker door and lost what it was that he planned to say.

Because instead of her usual flashy look, Stephanie was wearing jeans, a pair of dark purple flats, and a shirt that was covered in blue, pink, and yellow flowers that fell nicely to her waist.

"You…you look different," he remarked.

"Yeah, I do," Stephanie nodded. "I thought I would overhaul the look. I'm glad you like it."

"This wasn't for my benefit was it?" Percy asked.

"No," Stephanie said with a smile. "But I can't say I'm not glad you like the way I look. I just wanted to try something a little different. Look more approachable."

"Well, you succeeded," Percy told her. "You look nice."

"Thank you," Stephanie told him. "I have to get to class now, but good luck on the math test. Oh, and would you sit with me at lunch, please? You don't have to, of course, but I would love the pleasure of your company."

"Sure," Percy told her, curious to explore this new Stephanie more. "I'll be there. And good luck on the math test yourself!"

* * *

"So…where are we sitting today?" Drew asked as he and Percy made their way to the lunch room.

"Would you mind sitting by yourself?" Percy asked. "Your sister asked me to eat with her and I want to do it without the sense of doubt that comes every time you and I talk about her."

"Okay," Drew nodded. "I understand. You get to know my sister and I'll find someone else to sit with for the day."

"That's it?" Percy asked in amazement. "No cracks about how she's secretly evil and I'm heading into dangerous territory that'll make me feel like an idiot?"

"Oddly enough, no," Drew shook his head. "She's been working her ass off to be more approachable and nice, and while she says it's to help her overall look on life, I think a big part of it is that she knows it'll attract you. I think you're safe this time."

So Percy went to sit by Stephanie, who was alone at a table and waiting for him.

"I'm so glad you accepted my invitation," Stephanie smiled as he put his tray down and took a seat. "I hoped you would."

"Well, I'm very intrigued by this new you," Percy told her. "Is she here to stay? Cause I really think…I really think I could grow to like her."

"Yeah," Stephanie nodded. "She's here to stay. Don't worry. You won't have to deal with old Snobby Stephanie ever again. And neither will I, which, I've learned, is a very good thing."

"You really _do_ mean it," Percy said in amazement.

"I do," Stephanie nodded. "Would you like a cookie? My mom made them."

"If they're as good as her brownies, yes I would," Percy replied. "Oh, and one more thing."

"What?" Stephanie asked.

Then, to her surprise, Percy grabbed either side of her face and kissed her right there in the cafeteria as everyone looked on.

"Thank you for getting rid of Snobby Stephanie," he told her after they pulled apart and she looked at him with a stunned expression. "I'm glad you did."

"Yeah," Stephanie said, touching two fingers to her bottom lip and grinning. "Me too."

* * *

Ian took the handwritten note out of the pocket of his tight blue jeans and read it over. _I can't wait to go to boxing tonight. I'm bringing a friend who wants to meet you. I hope you don't mind._ He thought about what that could mean. As much as he'd resisted labeling his relationship with Ethan, he couldn't deny that he was a bit miffed about him bringing someone along on what should have been a date for just the two of them.

"Would you look this over and give an opinion on what you think it might mean?" Ian asked Victoria and Kai.

"Sure," Victoria nodded. She read it over and smiled. "How nice! Ethan wants to go see boxing with you again."

"Yeah, but he says he's bringing a friend," Ian replied. "You know what that means? It probably means he's going to dump me. Not that I care cause we've hardly been out many times or anything, but my god! He could have at least told me in private _before_ we went out."

"I'm sure that there's not anything to worry about," Kai replied. "That Ethan seems like the honest type. If he were thinking of breaking up, he would say something to your face."

"Exactly," Victoria nodded. "I wouldn't worry about it. You just go to the boxing match and you'll find out about this other person when you get there."

* * *

"Ian knows I'm coming, right?" Selina asked as they drove to Kai and Victoria's house. "It won't be some big shock to him when he sees me?"

"Well, I didn't exactly say I was bringing my mother, but I said I was bringing someone along," Ethan assured her. "I bet he won't mind. He doesn't even like me much anyway." But he was very surprised when he reached the door, knocked, and then Ian pulled him inside.

"What's with bringing someone else with us to boxing tonight?" He asked angrily. "If you want to break up, you should just say so!"

"No, I _don't_ want to break up!" Ethan cried, trying to calm him down as he felt his body start to expand, probably due to some sort of magic. "The person I brought with me is my mother! She wants to meet you and see the fights. That's all!"

"Oh, really?" Ian asked and dropped Ethan on the floor. "Sorry about that."

"You really thought I wanted to break up with you?" Ethan asked in surprise, feeling immense relief as the pressure on his body lessened. "Why would I want to end something that's barely had a chance to start?"

"I don't know," Ian shrugged. "I just…it's happened before." He paused as he grabbed his coat. "Your mom's okay with the fact that you're gay, right?"

"Yes," Ethan nodded. "She is, I promise. The only thing we'll have to worry about coming out of her mouth are questions about how long we'll be dating and when we'll get married cause she'll want to make us a cake."

"And how will she handle the fights?" Ian wanted to know, putting an arm around Ethan's waist as they made their way to the car. "Does she like boxing?"

"Oh, yes," Ethan replied. "More than I do, if that tells you anything."

"Well, I like her already," Ian smiled.

When they reached the car, Selina introduced herself and then moved over a little. "I hope you don't mind Ethan bringing me. I'd hate to think I've ruined something."

"No," Ian shook his head and took her hand. "Ethan was just telling me how much you like boxing too. And that you make cake. I think we'll get along well."

"Good," Selina smiled. "Do you want me to drive so you two can have the backseat all to yourselves?"

"No, I'll drive," Ethan volunteered. "That way, you two can talk more on the way to the arena."

"Excellent," Selina told him. "Cause once the fights start, our attention will be on other things. Like who is kicking whose ass."

"Yep," Ian said and gave Selina a high five. "That is so true."


	32. Something Else To Worry About

"Someone new has moved into my parents' house," William told Lucy as they talked in his bedroom. "She's really nice. I think you'd like her. Her name's Annie."

Lucy smiled. "It's so great to hear that you're making friends," she said. "Cause you're going to need to be with them for a bit while I help with things in my own family."

"Why?" William asked. "What happened? Is something wrong?"

Lucy sighed. "My mother is a vampire and she has issues with drinking blood. She can become unpredictable if she has too much."

"You mean like how I shoot fire when I get angry?" William asked.

"Yeah," Lucy nodded. "Exactly."

"Is she gonna be okay?" William wanted to know.

"Of course she will," Lucy assured him. "She's been through this before. Your grandpa Alistair and my uncle know all about how to fix it. And I'm gonna go be there for moral support."

"Good," William nodded and kissed her hand. "And if there's anything I can do for you while you help your uncle, let me know."

Lucy smiled and kissed him. threading her fingers through his longish dark hair. "You are so sweet," she told him. "I know I promised you that we'd visit that Van Gogh exhibit and this whole mess isn't gonna change that. It's on my schedule, I promise."

"I trust you," he told her. "You just take your time making sure your mother is well, and when everything is okay, then we can go to the museum."

"It's a date," Lucy promised. Then she told him goodbye and made her way toward the door just in time to bump into Annie, who was coming back in.

"Hi," Annie said and stuck out her hand. "I'm Annie. Are you moving in too?"

"No, I'm a friend of the family who visits from time to time," Lucy replied. "My name's Lucy. William told me good things about you. Thank you so much for being nice to him. Making friends is something he hasn't had a lot of experience with."

"It's really not a problem," Annie shrugged. "My life's pretty much been the same." She paused. "Are you and William a couple or something?"

"We could be," Lucy nodded. "I like him enough that we could very well be."

"All right," Annie nodded. "Good to know."

Lucy then told her goodbye and went to help her uncle deal with her mother so he wouldn't have to do it alone.

* * *

"So what happened with your daughter?" Malachai asked Klaus. It had been a while since he'd had time to visit his friend, but after hearing what had happened with Vivi, he figured he'd better invite him to come and visit.

"My ex-wife attacked Vivi and tried to kill her!" Klaus huffed. "My poor little girl! She's been through enough in her life. She doesn't need to be watching her back at her workplace, too!"

"She didn't seem that shaken by what happened," Malachai remarked. He'd had some time to talk with Vivi when he'd first arrived, and if he hadn't been told what had happened to her, he wouldn't have guessed anything had. "Is it normal behavior for your ex-wife to attack your children with Amy? Is she the jealous type?"

"Well, no," Klaus admitted. "It's actually rare behavior for her that comes about when she has too much blood at once, but can you blame me for being worried?"

"Not in the immediate aftermath," Helene said and put a hand on his arm. "But since Vivi's not harmed, don't you think it would be good to cut Selina a bit of a break?"

"You sound like your father," Klaus told her. "That's what _he_ says."

"And that's because it's reasonable!" Helene nodded insistently. "Especially after what you encouraged her to do to other people in the twenties, not to mention all the shenanigans you and she got into when Adrian and I were children. Remember when she was on that blood high and you and she burned down our school?"

"What?" Malachai asked, his eyes widening as Klaus looked down at his lap. "No, Helene," he mumbled. "I really don't remember that."

"It was on the news," Helene said to Malachai. "Really a spectacular bit of arson. And the janitor and some other people were killed too, I think, but that might have been Adrian's doing, rather than Selina's."

"So it's a habit of hers that you know about to attack people like that and you can't take time to feel some sympathy, especially since Vivi came out of it better than she did?" Malachai asked.

"Would you two lighten up?" Klaus huffed. "I've already decided that I'm going to go apologize to her. I got this lecture from Amy and from Vivian too. It's been drilled in my brain and I don't need to hear it from you also."

"I would hope not," Malachai replied firmly.

"Don't you have any pressing issues of your own to deal with?" Klaus asked him irritably. "I thought your sister was wreaking havoc and going to destroy the world or something."

"Well, that's what I thought too," Malachai nodded. "I got backup all ready and now…now it seems like she's not doing anything."

"I wouldn't turn my back on her for a minute, though," Helene cautioned. "Just because she may not be aligned with John at the moment doesn't mean she won't be in the future or that things are completely problem free."

"Oh, don't worry," Malachai assured her. "I know my sister too well to turn my back on her now. Like you say, if she's not up to something now, she will be soon. I only hope Kai can hold himself together long enough to deal with it, since Edele seems to be spending a lot more time with him lately."

"Yeah," Helene agreed. "Poor boy. You'll have to go and check on him soon."

"Very true," Malachai nodded as he put a hand on Helene's. "I couldn't agree more." He paused. "Now that we have things sorted out here, do you think we should go home and see how William's getting on?"

"Yes," Helene nodded as she looked at her watch and realized how long they'd been out. "Yes, I really think we should."

* * *

"So did you see John like you said you would?" Kai asked Edele. "Or was that just a lie?"

"Oh, it was most certainly _not_ a lie," Edele told him. "I saw him all right."

"And did you remember to ask him what he's got in store for Finn and Molly so that we'll know how long we have before we take the kids and run for it?" Kai asked.

"For one thing, I really think you need to calm down regarding them," Edele said. "They're not small children anymore; they're extremely powerful and whatever happens, they'll be able to handle it. You're just holding them back. And for another, no, I didn't ask John about Finn and Molly. But I think you don't have to worry just yet. John's too worried about his precious Freya and how she may be betraying him to think of his children."

"And is that somewhat your doing?" Kai asked. "Have you been planting ideas in his head?"

" _Maybe_ ," Edele replied with a sneaky grin. "And you're welcome by the way, for protecting our children."

"There is no 'our'," Kai said for what seemed like the thousandth time. "Finn and Molly are Victoria's and mine and that's the end of it."

"For now it might seem that way," Edele conceded. "But you can't deny that there are times where Molly at least wants to get to know us. And if that happens, you won't stand in her way, will you?"

"I could try, but it's not like she'd let me," Kai remarked. "If she wants to see you, she will. I know that. But not before."

"All right," Edele agreed. "Fair enough. Speaking of the twins, where are they? It doesn't seem like you've sent them away already."

"No," Kai shook his head. "Molly's spending a lot of time with my friend Adrian, and Finny's got a girlfriend named Daisy he spends a lot of time with now. They're in and out so often that we hardly ever see them."

A few minutes later, Victoria strode in the house after a visit with her parents (she'd gone there to hide from Edele and figured she'd be gone after a few hours) and then froze when she saw that her mother-in-law was still sitting on the sofa. "Hello, Edele," she got out a few seconds later.

"Hello," Edele replied. "I bet you were hoping that I would be gone by now."

"Actually, I was," Victoria agreed. "But I can be in the same room with you too. After a few hours with my parents, I'm prepared for that."

"How grown up of you," Edele told her.

There was a silence and Victoria remarked, "So…I hear you've been to see John. How is he?"

"In over his head," Edele replied. "I think he's bitten off more than he can chew with this Freya woman." She paused. "It's a shame I can't kill her."

"Cause you want John for yourself again?" Kai asked. "I wonder why he's moved on from you when you have such a pleasant and warm personality."

Edele scoffed at this. "Trust me boy," she told him. "When it comes to what John likes in a woman, personality has nothing to do with it, which is why he's going to find himself in trouble one day."

"And how do you know that?" Victoria asked.

"Cause _I'm_ gonna be the one who makes the trouble for him," Edele replied, her voice full of certainty.


	33. A Well-Deserved Night Out

"What do you know about Drew Mikaelson?" Daisy asked Finn after giving him a kiss by his locker. Things had calmed down since the Selina incident, and now people were acting like it had never happened. "Anything? He's nosing around Clarissa and I'm curious."

"Drew? He's not bad," Finn assured her. "If a guy is gonna go after your sister, he's a good bet."

"Really?" Daisy asked. "Is he unstable like his mother? Cause we have enough to worry about without worrying about that too."

"Not that I know of," Finn shook his head. "But if you think that crazy family issues get in the way of a relationship, I admit I have a lot to confess that might want to make you end things with me."

"You already told me about the situations with your unstable birth parents," Daisy replied. "Remember?"

"Yeah," Finn nodded. "I did, didn't I? Look, if you're really concerned about Drew, we could go out with him and Clarissa and you could look him over for yourself. Would that make you happy?"

"Yes," Daisy assured him. "But when you make the date, you can't say anything about it being because I want to snoop in Clarissa's private life or anything, okay? Keep that to yourself."

"Why is it that I have to make the date?" Finn asked. "I don't know Drew as well as you know Clarissa!"

"You're the guy though," Daisy told him. "That's what guys are supposed to do."

"Well, my mom would say that people shouldn't just blindly stick to particular gender roles and should instead do whatever suits them best," Finn told her. "When you set up something with Clarissa and Drew, let me know." He then strode off as Daisy called after him, "But…I….um…oh, fine! I'll do it! You just run off then. I don't care!"

* * *

"So when are we meeting them for the date?" Finn asked her later. "Have you had time to talk to your sister about that?"

"Yes, I did," Daisy nodded. "It won't be for some time though because you know how my parents are about me being with someone else and Clarissa's worried they'll make her be with someone else too, so finding the right time when we won't get caught is the looming issue."

"How exciting and full of romance and danger!" Finn cried as he rubbed his hands.

"Yeah," Daisy nodded. "I guess it is."

"And thank you for taking the risk," Finn added. "I know this is kind of a hard situation for you."

"'kind of a hard situation'," Daisy repeated dryly. "Yeah, it's hard. But I'm starting to realize that maybe I'd rather be happy with a person I like rather than be stuck with Blake, even if that _does_ mean I get all the money."

"You'd give up your entire inheritance for me?" Finn asked, feeling surprised. "I'm so touched!"

"Don't get too excited just yet," Daisy warned. "I said that I was _in the process_ of realizing that I'd rather give up my inheritance to be with someone I liked than keep it all and be with Blake. But I'm not there yet."

"Hey, just the fact that you're able to think about it is enough of a compliment for me right now," Finn told her easily. "I'm a patient guy. I can wait." He pulled her against him in a one-armed hug and kissed her hair. "We have all the time in the world."

* * *

Meanwhile, Daisy was not the only one concerned about the effects of Selina's behavior. After a few days, Elijah, although he was full of regret, decided that he should be going back to work and after a talk with Selina's parents, they decided that spending time at Matthew's during the day was the best thing for her, something that was a source of conversation for Junior and Sarah.

"You didn't get kicked out of your room to make way for Grandma, did you?" Junior asked her as he let her and Sunny in. "Because if you're sleeping on the couch now, you know who has space in their bed for you." He grinned and then sobered. "Not that I would use Grandma's issues for my own personal gain. That would be wrong."

"Oh, I know you'd never view the situation that way," Sarah replied. "But you'll be pleased to know that I haven't been banished to the sofa. I'm in my own room. It's Mom who's had to switch rooms."

"Why?" Junior asked.

"Cause Selina needs a calming presence now and can't really be left alone and Dad's opinion of her is actually a very powerful motivator to help her stay on track," Sarah said. "You have no idea how strong."

"You wanna have some time to yourself and come to a movie with me tonight?" Junior asked. "Or something else? I just want to see you."

"Yeah," Sarah smiled. "That would be nice. I have an idea for something to do that's a bit different, though."

* * *

When Junior arrived at the house, Matthew was the one who answered his knock and let him in. He looked exhausted, and didn't even ask his usual questions about what Junior intended to do with Sarah that evening.

"Are you all right?" Junior wanted to know. "I hear you've been looking after Grandma a lot lately."

"Who?" Matthew asked, his green eyes confused.

"Grandma," Junior repeated. "You know, your daughter who has the issues with consuming blood?"

"Oh, yes," Matthew nodded. "It's just so odd to hear her be talked about in that way. I'm still getting used to it." He sighed. "It's been hard to watch her go through so much, that's for sure. But she's definitely getting better and that's a good thing. Hopefully we won't have to go through this again."

"I hope not either," Junior agreed. "She's much better to be around when she's got a clear head."

"Oh, believe me, I know," Matthew nodded. "You're preaching to the choir. Her mother is the exact same way." He paused. "Well, maybe not for my brother. He has a higher threshold for what's considered crazy behavior that he can't handle than I do, but there were some days with Amelia where I really had to reach down deep in myself, if you know what I mean."

"Yeah," Junior nodded. "I bet I do." He paused. "So…what are you gonna do while Sarah and I are out? Enjoy the silence? You're entitled to that by now."

"Oh, of course I am," Matthew agreed. "Yes, Christine and I are going to stay in tonight. Maybe watch a movie and order a pizza. I don't know. What about you and Sarah? Movie? Dinner?"

"Actually, she wanted me to take her to the zoo," Junior said. "There's a movie playing there about the animals that live deep in the sea, and then after we watch that, she wants to visit the polar bears cause they just had a new baby polar bear."

"Well, that's different," Matthew said. "I hope you enjoy yourselves."

"I think we will," Junior told him. "And I'll remember to have her home by eleven like usual."

"Actually, I'm feeling a bit generous tonight, so you can stay out an extra hour," Matthew said with a smile. "Have fun."

"Thank you," Junior told him, feeling a bit shocked. The whole situation with his grandmother must've done a number on Matthew because he was _never_ that generous, at least not without a long interrogation first. "You'll see us at midnight. Have a restful evening."

"I hope we will," Matthew sighed. "I really do. You want a drink or something?"

"Sure," Junior replied and sat down. "A Coke would be nice."

"Coming right up," Matthew told him. "And thank you for not asking for beer."

* * *

"I can't believe we were able to sneak out and do this," Daisy told Clarissa as they sat and watched a baseball game.

"I can't believe it either," Clarissa replied. "But we probably shouldn't push our luck, should we?"

"No," Daisy shook her head. "One hot dog, one drink, one home run, and then we're on our way."

"Won't that kind of defeat the purpose of why we're doing this?" Finn asked. "Don't you think we'll need more time than that?"

"No," Daisy shook her head as she watched Drew throw himself in front of Clarissa so she wouldn't be hit by a flying ball and then give her a hug. "I think that'll be just enough time."

"All right," Finn shrugged and yelled for the popcorn and pretzel guys. "Whatever you want. It's your choice. As long as I can be with you, I don't care how long we're here. Although I'm really wanting as much as I possibly can." He got his popcorn and his pretzel and then held the popcorn bag out to Daisy. "Want some?" He asked.

She chuckled nervously and blushed. "How stupid would you think I am for admitting that I've never actually had popcorn before? Or a pretzel?"

"I wouldn't think you're stupid at all," Finn replied, handing her both foods. "You enjoy them both and I'll get more for me."

"That's sweet, but I don't want to deprive you," Daisy told him.

"It's not a problem," Finn replied. "I'd love to."

"All right, thanks," Daisy told him as she took a bite of the pretzel and then got up to scream with the rest of the fans as the team Finn liked scored a home run. "How nice of you."

"I just want you to have the whole experience," he told her with a smile. "And not miss a single thing."

* * *

"You know, I was a bit put off when Finn said he was going out again tonight, but it all worked out well in the end, didn't it, Vicky?" Kai grinned at Victoria as he refilled her glass of Chianti. "No kids, no mother…just you and me for dinner. And don't worry about the dishes that are in the sink now. I promise I'll do them later."

"Yeah, it's really nice," Victoria nodded, and then looked at the wine in her glass. "What are you trying to do?" She asked. "This is like my fifth glass!"

"You don't have to drink it," Kai replied, moving it out of the way and kissing her. "I just didn't want you to be thirsty."

"Yeah, sure," Victoria nodded, getting to her feet and stumbling in her heels with Kai speeding over to catch her just in time. She then said, "That was really lucky." She smiled. "You're such a good man, Malachai! I like it that you're not evil anymore."

"I like that too," Kai agreed. "That's all in the past and nothing would make me go back to that, I promise."

"Good," Victoria said and kissed him again before kicking off her heels and letting him lead her to their bedroom. "That's so wonderful to hear."

When the door was closed behind them, they threw off their clothes and she let him handcuff her to the bed before he parted her legs and tasted her. Then, when she was worn out, he uncuffed her, took her in his arms, and buried himself deep inside her with such force that they both fell onto the mattress.

"Wow," Victoria said and pushed her hair out of her eyes. "How long do you think we can do that before one of us hurts ourselves?"

"Is that a challenge?" Kai asked. "Would you like to see?"

"Sure," Victoria smiled and straddled him. "Let's do it!"


	34. Doing What Comes Naturally

"So…what do you want to do tonight?" Victoria asked Finn. "Cause I have some wonderful ideas for family bonding."

"Actually, I was planning on going out again," Finn told her apologetically. "Do you mind?"

"Fine," Victoria huffed. "Sure. Whatever. You go and hang out with your friends. Or your girlfriend, or whatever. I don't mind."

"Oh, come on, Vicky!" Kai said, sitting next to her and hugging her hard. "Let him hang out with his friends. You can be with me! Remember the fun we had yesterday?"

"Well, there _is_ that," Victoria nodded. But she cast her eyes down and just generally looked very upset.

"Why don't we go to my world of solitude for the night?" Kai suggested. "That's always fun, right?"

"Okay," Victoria nodded. "But when he tells me he wants to start spending time with Edele and John, then I'm protesting!"

"Poor Vicky," Kai said and took her in his arms to give her a hug. "How's that? Does that make you feel better?"

Victoria squirmed in his grip. "No offense, but if it did, I would have felt better a long time ago . But it's not working."

"Well, what do you think would?" Kai asked. "Just tell me and we'll do it. Do you want to go see your parents? Hell, I'll even sit through a night with your grandfather if you want. I just…I don't like seeing you unhappy."

"I don't know if it can be fixed by anyone but the kids, though," Victoria replied. "And since you're a vampire, it's not like we can have any more."

"Of course we can!" Kai told her. "I'll just go see Astrid and have her fix me up so I'm just a warlock and not a vampire anymore, and that will fix everything."

"Oh, don't do that!" Victoria told him. "Any other time, I would tell you to go for it, but I'm sure she's way too busy working with Alistair and the others fixing the situation with your mother to devote time to smaller issues. It's not like it's an emergency or anything. It's a shame we had to put the dog down. She would have been a big help."

"So I'll get you another dog," Kai shrugged. "It's not hard." He paused. "Or we could go see Adrian and Molly. Would that do?"

"Oh, I don't want to bother them," Victoria sighed. "She's probably busy."

"And maybe she's not," Kai said, taking Victoria's hand. "Let's go and see, shall we?"

* * *

"Hi, Mom! Hi Daddy!" Molly greeted them when she opened the door. "How nice to see you! We haven't talked in a while, have we?"

"See?" Kai told Victoria and gave her a nudge over the threshold. Victoria resisted because Molly was wearing a bathrobe, which she took to mean that she and Kai had interrupted something. "She's not busy and happy to see us."

"I really am," Molly assured her. "Come and sit." She then had to put a restraining hand on Rusty, who'd come running in to see who was visiting. "Sorry about that," she apologized. "He doesn't get to see a lot of people, so when someone comes, he gets excited, even if he's seen them a million times."

"Awww," Victoria smiled, and reached down to pet the dog and rub his tummy before picking him up and carrying him to the living room. "I'm glad to see him too."

"You better watch out," Kai advised his daughter in a joking tone. "With how your mother is feeling, she might just take Rusty and run for it when we leave."

"Why?" Molly asked, tucking her legs underneath her. "Is something wrong, Mom?"

"No, it's just that Finny's got a girlfriend now, so he's out a lot and we hardly ever see him. And since you moved in here, I've just been feeling useless and lonely lately," Victoria told her. "That's all. It's nothing you need to worry about."

"Of course it is!" Molly nodded. "I mean, I won't _worry_ , exactly. But I'm glad you brought it up so it can be addressed. It had just totally slipped my mind that I haven't been home in a while. I've been so busy avoiding Edele, see? Has she been nosing around a lot?"

"Yes, but as long as you stand firm, hold your ground, and don't let her anywhere near you, she'll lose interest soon enough," Kai assured her. "It worked for me."

"Yeah, but doesn't she have issues with you?" Molly pointed out. "Unfortunately, she's fully invested in me in a way she wasn't with you."

"True," Kai nodded. "But really, I think the suggestion still stands. I really do."

Just then Adrian came in. "Hi, you guys!" He greeted Kai and Victoria cheerfully. "I was gonna call you to come visit soon, but now I don't have to! That's great!"

"Victoria didn't want to come, cause she thought it would disturb you, but I'm glad we did," Kai told him.

"Yeah, now we just need to schedule some time for us by ourselves," Adrian said. "That would be fun." He looked at Molly. "I hope that doesn't offend you or anything."

"Oh, no," Molly shook her head. "It doesn't bother me at all. Whenever you want to spend time with your friends, just tell me and I'll find some excuse to leave for a few hours."

"Well, aren't you sweet?" Adrian smiled and gave her and kiss while Kai quickly averted his eyes.

"What's wrong with you?" Victoria chuckled for what seemed like the first time in a while. "Does affection make you uncomfortable?"

"When I see other people do it, yes it does." Kai remarked and then stood up. "Adrian, I'm gonna go into the kitchen now and when I come back, you two better not be kissing."

"Oh, of course we won't be," Molly assured him. "You'll be eating and we want you to keep your food down. It wouldn't be good if you threw up all over the carpet."

"Thank you for understanding," Kai said, ignoring his daughter's sarcasm. Then he headed off into the kitchen, the laughter of Molly and Victoria ringing in his ears.

* * *

"Was it much of a problem for you to slip away?" Finn asked when they got back to his bedroom after he picked her up. She then pushed him onto his bed, and gave him a kiss.

"No," Daisy chuckled. "It seems like I'm not the only one who hates Blake. The whole staff is just _dying_ to cover for me."

"Good," Finn told her, his hands cupping her butt and giving it a squeeze. "So how much time do you think we have before they realize that you're gone?"

Daisy shrugged. "As much as we want! They made a double for me, so if my parents go to my room and ask for me, they won't have any trouble believing that I'm there. What about you? How long til your parents need you?"

"My parents have actually gone who knows where for the night, so who knows when they'll return?" Finn said. Then he nibbled on her neck. "Maybe I'll get my own place of solitude soon. You know that spell, right? Where you cast it and you just have this place all your own where no one could go but you?""

"Yes, please!" Daisy encouraged. "Do it! Do it! I could use the peace and quiet."

"Okay," Finn promised. "Thanks. A place of solitude would be no fun if I was all by myself."

Daisy then squeezed Finn tight, laying her head on his chest. "Until you do that, this is good enough." They stayed in the hug for a while, then the hug evolved into a kiss, and soon they were kissing each other in their underwear.

"We have to stop," Daisy panted when she realized this, although her hands continued to roam over Finn's body. "I can't. My inheritance!"

"Oh, would you relax?" Finn asked with a wicked grin as he grabbed her wrist and slid her hand in his boxers. "As long as you don't say anything, no one will know."

Daisy's breath began to pick up as Finn grabbed her face and brought it down so he could kiss her. "Are you sure?" She asked before their lips touched.

"Well are you gonna say anything?" Finn asked, giving her a look."

"No," Daisy shook her head as she rubbed him gently. "I won't. I'm not an idiot."

"Good," Finn nodded and then made a noise in the back of his throat, "Neither will I."

* * *

"Thanks for giving us that extra hour the other night," Sarah told Matthew. "Not to knock a favor, but can I count on that generosity again?"

"Maybe," Matthew nodded.

"Wow, that's daring," Selina told her, her voice full of admiration. "I would have just taken the one favor and not pushed."

There was a knock at the door and Junior came in again.

"Didn't you just go out yesterday?" Matthew asked. "Why do you need to do it again so soon?"

"I actually just came to visit my grandma," Junior said and sat down next to Selina. "That's not a crime is it?"

"Well, no," Matthew shook his head.

"Oh, and look at this," Junior continued as he pulled out some bourbon that he'd zapped up from behind his back. "Look what I just happened to have with me. You want it?"

Matthew eyed him suspiciously and pulled Sarah closer to himself. "I'd never refuse a gift," he told him. "But I have my eye on you."

"Fair enough," Junior shrugged. Since Matthew was still glaring at him, he decided to converse with Selina instead. "So," he said to her. "How are you? Better?"

"Yeah," Selina nodded. "I've actually been okay for a while, but you know, after you attack someone, it takes time to build the trust back up again."

"And you didn't _mean_ to do that, right?" Matthew asked. "Tell me you didn't."

"I didn't," Selina assured him. "I promise."

Matthew nodded and took her hand. "I'm sure they'll let you go back to work soon and then you won't have to be handed back and forth between Elijah and me every day. I know you hate that."

"But I know you two mean well and you're people I like, so that makes it easier to deal with," Selina told him. Then she sat up and said, "You want me to go take the dogs for a walk?"

"Sure," Matthew nodded, noticing that his dogs were scratching at the door. "What good timing."

"I think I'll come too," Junior said.

"And me," Sarah told him and took his hand as they walked to the door. Selina then handed Junior the leash before loudly shouting, "All right, you two, I'll be sure to come with you so you don't do any shenanigans."

"Oh, stop," Matthew told her. "I know you're just doing that to trick me."

"I tried, you guys," Selina told them and then headed back to her father.

"We'll be back with the dog in a bit," Sarah told her father firmly and then grabbed Junior and kissed him deeply before they left.

He kept his hands on her waist, but Matthew was sure he could detect a twitch as if his hands wanted to roam other places on his daughter's body. They then broke apart and left the house with the dogs trotting in front of them.

"I don't really think that was necessary," Matthew huffed after a moment of silence before looking at his older daughter. "Do you?"

"Yeah, I think you kind of had it coming," Selina nodded. "And frankly, I think she let you off easy."

"Really, darlin', I'm not that bad!" Matthew told her. "Am I?"

"You said you were gonna keep an eye on him!" Selina reminded her father. "Do you think that's typical behavior?"

"Well, it used to be!" Matthew defended himself. "You wouldn't _believe_ the amount of fathers who kept eyes on your uncle."

"I know one of them," Selina said. "It was Granddaddy Lockwood."

"Yeah," Matthew chuckled. "It sure was." He paused. "Do you think Sarah will be all right?"

"Yeah," Selina nodded and kissed him on the cheek as he put his arms around her. "I really think you have nothing to worry about there."


	35. Come A Little Closer

"I have a question," Sarah asked Junior as she pulled off on the side of the road while they drove home from school. "Are you scared of my dad?"

"No," Junior scoffed. "What would make you think that?"

"Well, because we don't kiss or hold hands or anything," Sarah pointed out. "He's not gonna jump out and kill you if you touch me. Not here." She took his hand and put it on the warm skin over her heart. "See? What happened to the guy who took me to his room and told his parents we were just gonna spend the night together? I miss him."

"You do?" Junior asked in surprise before putting both his hands on either side of her face and leaning his forehead against hers. "Really?"

"Um, yeah!" Sarah nodded. "And if you're worried about _your_ birth father showing up and interrupting us, I can take him on. You've seen me do it."

"You're right!" Junior replied and kissed her as his hand cupped her breast. "I've really been neglecting you, haven't I?"

"Yeah," Sarah nodded and gave him several kisses in quick succession and then winking as she paused to let them both breathe. "You should be ashamed of yourself."

"Well, I intend to be," he said before nibbling on her neck. "For a very long time. But we'll have to do it at my house. Would you mind coming up with an excuse for your parents."

"We're going now?" Sarah asked in surprise.

"I didn't think you wanted to waste any more time," Junior explained and pushed his blond hair back. "But if you'd like to wait, we can just keep on going in the direction we were going."

"No!" Sarah shook her head, her dark hair flying in her face as she whipped her phone out and quickly called home to tell whatever parent was around that she would be a little late. "Now is good!"

Fortunately, it was her mother who answered her call and not her father.

"Hi!" Christine told her daughter brightly. "Are you on your way home?"

"Actually, Junior and I will be studying for a bit so I'm going to be late," Sarah replied. "That's not a problem, is it?"

"No, it shouldn't be," Christine assured her. "But is this 'studying' something your dad shouldn't know about?"

"Would I be in trouble if I said 'Yes'?" Sarah wanted to know. "All we want is some time alone without Daddy peering over our shoulder. That's not wrong, is it?"

"No, it's not," Christine told her daughter. "Just make sure you take all precautions, all right? Cause certain things would be kind of hard to hide from your dad and I don't think the poor man is ready to deal with them yet."

"Right," Sarah said. "We'll be diligent about that. Don't worry."

"Who the hell was that?" Junior asked. "You didn't just blab all our plans to your parents, did you?"

"It was my mom," Sarah told him. "She's cool. We're fine. Now, are we going, or not?"

"Well, I don't know," Junior shrugged. " _You're_ the one sitting behind the wheel, not me. Only you can answer that."

* * *

"Well, look at this!" Liam announced loudly as Junior brought Sarah into the house. "Sarah's come to visit!"

"Hi!" Mary ran in and hugged her. "It's been so long since we've seen you!"

"I'm glad to see you too!" Sarah said and hugged them. "I'm glad to be here."

"Can I get you a snack or something?" Mary asked. "You're probably hungry, aren't you?"

"Not now, thanks," Junior told his mother and held Sarah close. "But we probably will be in an hour or so."

"Do you really think it will be an hour?" Sarah asked and looked at him in surprise.

"Yes," Junior nodded. "It will."

"Right," Sarah nodded as he led her up the stairs. "Let's get started then."

"Just make sure you use a condom and put that spell on the door so we don't have to hear you," Liam called after him.

"Of course!" Junior fired back. "I wouldn't forget that. Do you honestly think I want my parents listening?"

"I should hope not," Mary joined in the conversation. "Cause not wanting to hear that is a two-way street, you know."

"And we're ending this conversation," Junior said. A short time later, both Liam and Mary heard the slam of a door.

"Are we bad parents?" Mary asked Liam. "Should we be doing more to discourage this behavior?"

"We could try," Liam told her. "But then he'd still do it behind our backs. This is the better way."

"Yeah," Mary nodded. "You're right. But I still feel like I'm failing some sort of parenting test."

"Hey, as long as he's getting good grades and not engaging in any sort of risky behavior beyond what he normally does as a person of his species, we're not doing anything wrong," Liam said as he put an arm around her while she put her curly red head on his shoulder. "Don't worry about it."

Meanwhile, Junior and Sarah's foreplay had been brief after he put the condom on, and now they were clutching each other tightly and trying to stay on the mattress as he pushed into her over and over again.

"I like that we're not wasting any time," Sarah panted. "This…this is good."

Junior paused then and kissed her gently. "Sorry," he said. "I suppose we could slow down a little, couldn't we?"

"I didn't say we needed to," Sarah told him. "Granted we only have so much 'studying' time before I need to get home, but we can take things at a more leisurely pace next time."

"If you're sure that's what you want," Junior said. "I don't want you to think this is all about me."

"Don't worry, I don't think it is," Sarah assured him. "Now, enough talking!" She threw herself backward so she was on her back on the mattress and looking up at him. He took some time to re-position himself and soon, his head was in between her parted legs and she was panting softly, her eyes closed and her toes curled as he licked her slowly over and over.

It took a little time, but when he heard her sudden gasp of breath and felt the sharp twist of her body, he realized she had finally come. He gave her one final lick and then after getting on his knees, he pulled her to sit up as they both looked at the clock on his bedside table. "See?" He said as he took her in his arms. "I told you it would take an hour, didn't I?"

"Yeah, you did," Sarah nodded and kissed him. "We should probably get going now. Did you see where I threw my underwear?"

Junior burrowed under the covers and quickly produced a pair of white lacy thong panties. "Here," he said. "These them?"

"Well, yes," Sarah nodded and took them, frowning slightly. "Why wouldn't they be? You have any other girls' underwear hiding in your bed, Sean?"

Junior blushed a little at her use of his real name that he shared with his mother's older brother. "No," he said quickly. "I just…you wore briefs last time so these are a bit of a surprise."

"Oh," Sarah nodded and took a relieved breath. "Okay. Well, this time, I was planning for something like this to happen, so I dressed for the occasion."

This made Junior chuckle as he reached for his boxers and put them on. "Really? You're such a tease!"

"Yeah, I take after my mom that way," Sarah smiled. She got dressed then, feeling Junior's eyes on her the whole time. She turned after zipping up her pants and said, "Enjoying the view?"

"Well, yes," Junior nodded. "Of course. Should I have looked away?"

"No," Sarah shook her head. "I don't mind you looking. It's not like you haven't seen and explored everything I've got anyway."

"True," Junior replied, coming to take her in his arms and kiss her again, his hands roaming down her back and over her butt.

"No, no," she said and pulled away. "You stop that. We start this again and you'll have to put up with Daddy and his gun and I assume you don't want that."

"No," Junior sighed sadly and let her go, then dressed the rest of the way and let her lead him down the stairs.

"You guys done studying?" Liam asked.

"For now, anyway," Junior nodded. "So I'm gonna take Sarah home. I won't be late for dinner, I promise."

"Actually, would you pick up burgers on your way back?" Mary asked. "Please?"

"Sure," Junior told her. "The usual order from the usual place?"

"Yep," Liam nodded. "Thank you, Sean."

"You're welcome," Junior told his father, then shut the door behind himself and Sarah as they made their way to his car, thinking of what to tell her father in the event of an interrogation.

* * *

Meanwhile, Junior's grandfather was also seeking time alone with the love of his life while trying to keep a protective father out of the way.

"I'm so glad you're not letting my dad freak you out regarding us being together," Molly told Adrian as she undressed for bed. "I mean, not that I was nervous about that, but it's nice all the same."

"Well, I figure that if he still considers me a friend after all this, then it can't be as dire of a situations as we think, can it?" Adrian asked as he picked her up and tossed her gently onto the mattress before climbing in after her. He was clad only in his boxers, and he wouldn't even be in _them_ for very long.

"No," Molly giggled as he nibbled on her neck and then gave it a lick. "I guess not." He kissed her a few more times and then when they paused for breath she said, "You locked the door, right? Rusty's not gonna come in here and watch us, is he?"

"No," Adrian shook his head. "He won't. I promise."

"Maybe we should get him a girlfriend of his own," Molly suggested. "Wouldn't that be nice?"

"And we wouldn't even have to bother getting him fixed," Adrian smiled. "That happened _years_ ago."

Molly chuckled. "Poor guy. Why did you do that?"

"He had one too many liaisons with the neighbor's dog, and one day, Mrs. Goldfarb came by and left us with a box full of his spawn."

"Oh, dear," Molly chuckled. "What did you do with them?"

"Luckily enough, _I_ didn't have to do anything," Adrian told her. "My daughter Lenora was home with her babysitter when it happened and they took them to the pet store. I only found out about it afterward. That and the fact that my irate four-year-old had turned the neighbor into a frog with her magic." He chuckled. "That was funny. I never liked the old witch anyway."

"She was a witch?" Molly asked. "The neighbor, I mean?"

"Only in the figurative sense," Adrian smiled and then took Molly into his arms and inhaled the scent of her skin.

"I'm guessing you want to end this discussion now?" Molly asked.

"Well, I suppose we could keep talking, but think of the alternative Molly!" Adrian cried and gestured expressively.

"Good point," Molly said, running her fingers through his blond hair before kissing him. Then, to his surprise, she whacked him in the face with a pillow.

"What was that for?" Adrian asked, smoothing back some of his hair that had been moved out of place.

"Foreplay," Molly responded with a smile. "You gonna play or what?"

Soon, they were whacking each other with pillows and then Adrian threw his aside and pinned Molly down to tickle her.

"Okay, okay!" Molly said through laughter. "Stop, stop, you win!"

"Good," Adrian smiled and they undressed the rest of the way before he lowered her down onto the mattress, ran his hands slowly over her body, and buried himself inside her until they heard barking at the bedroom door and realized that they should probably take the dog out.


	36. Less To Worry About

"And we're alone again…naturally," Victoria sighed.

"Oh, come on, Vicky!" Kai said and hugged her. "Why do you always act like this is such a bad thing?"

"Cause what if the kids leave and don't come back?" Victoria asked. "What if they decide to side with John or something and we never see them again? Can we trust them to love us or are they just gonna be so dazzled by having such powerful parents that we'll be left behind?"

" _We_ are their parents," Kai told Victoria firmly as he put his hand under her chin to make her look at him. "And if we lose them, it's their loss, you know? I mean, we can only fight for them for so long."

"Are we giving up now?" Victoria wanted to know.

"No, we're not," Kai shook his head. "But we need to remember that that could be an option…and maybe think of having one that's actually our own."

"Oh, I don't know if we should do that," Victoria shook her head. "What if your mother tries to mess with that child too? I don't think my heart could take going through that again."

"Well don't worry," Kai said. "Now that we seem to be at least on non-hostile terms, I will ask her if she'll leave us alone to start our family this time. Then will you feel better about it?"

"Yes," Victoria nodded. "Yes, I will."

"You two are going to have another child?" Edele asked when they called her to their house to tell her the news. "Good for you!"

"We're mainly telling you this so you don't try and mess with it like you did Finn and Molly," Kai said. "Can we trust that you'll leave us alone this time?"

"Oh, of course!" Edele sighed. "This time the children will be all yours, and I won't interfere. Although I hope I'll be allowed to engage in grandmotherly activities?"

"Do you seriously think we'll let you do things like that after you put us through all this?" Victoria asked. "How deluded can you be?"

Kai then made a weak attempt to hold her back as she launched herself at Edele, knocked her to the ground, and then began beating on her. Then she bit her, and when Edele tried to put a spell on her, Victoria just deflected it with a spell of her own, which left Edele frozen and still on the living room carpet.

When it seemed like she was done, Kai got out of his chair and cautiously approached Victoria, who was breathing heavily. She turned to face him, Edele's blood on her mouth, and said, "I just…I had to do that. She deserved it."

"Do you honestly think that I'm gonna scold you for doing what I've wanted to do for years?" Kai asked and then took her in his arms so he could lick his mother's blood off her mouth. "I'm just stunned. And a little aroused too, but that should go without saying."

"Yeah," Victoria nodded. "Yeah, it should. The point is, we're gonna have another kid and no one is gonna take them from us."

"You know, I think we should tell your grandparents about this," Kai said. "They might be interested to hear and it's been a while since you've seen them, hasn't it?"

"Yeah," Victoria agreed. "It has. I mean, I don't know how much we'll see Grandpa Kol because he's probably involved in all the Phoenix defeat stuff, but I'm sure if we told Grandma Margot, she'd let him know."

"All right," Kai took her hand. "Let's go."

"But what about your mother?" Victoria asked. "Should we just leave her there?"

"Why not?" Kai shrugged.

"All right," Victoria agreed. "Going now."

* * *

"Well, look at this, Margot?" Kol called over his shoulder when he opened the door to Victoria's knock. "Our granddaughter finally decided to come and visit us." He then glared at Kai. "What's taken so long? Is it your fault?"

"No," Victoria told him quickly as they headed inside. "We know what's going on with Edele and the Phoenix and your sister and we didn't know how busy everyone was."

"We're never too busy to see you, darling," Kol told her. "So, what made you decide to come now?"

"She wanted to tell you about how she just beat the shit out of my mother," Kai said. "I was so proud of her."

Kol smiled. "Me too. But it's not surprising, given her heritage. Sounds like you're doing the family proud, Victoria."

"Are you part of the defense squad like Uncle Klaus and Uncle Elijah?" Victoria wanted to know. "Or are they basically keeping you out of it?"

"I'm not working with either of my brothers, but my father has been kind enough to let me in on what he's working on," Kol replied. "Actually, that was Gwen's idea. She thought that Father would be more likely to accomplish his goal if he had someone doing it with him."

"How do you feel about what Freya's doing?" Victoria asked him. "Are you all right?"

"Well, I was never particularly close to her since I was on the other end of the family, so to me, this is another instance of family politics," Kol told her. "Fortunately, more of us feel that way than not, so we should all get out of it okay unless something goes really wrong."

"Sorry I was late getting out here," Margot said, appearing in the living room and coming to hug Victoria. "I thought I heard you."

"We were just discussing Freya and what her betrayal might mean for the rest of the family," Kol told his wife.

"It's such a terrible thing what she's doing," Margot replied. "I wonder if, since she's a witch still, the Council will take her powers away after all this?"

"Why would they?" Kol asked. "It's not like she's betraying witches. The Council doesn't exactly like us Mikaelsons and they'll probably give her a medal for making sure we're exterminated."

"Under any other leader, that could very well be true, but remember, Astrid is in charge again now and she's much smarter than many when it comes to interspecies politics," Margot reminded him.

"And isn't your sister working with Astrid too?" Kol asked. "Or is that not happening anymore?"

"I don't know," Margot shrugged. "I _really_ need to talk to Amy again, don't I?"

Just then, Mikael burst into the room. "Hello," he said. He was breathing hard and both Kol and Margot had to help him to a chair to sit down.

"What's wrong, Father?" Kol smirked. "Still thinking of that dream where you and Lonely Heart got married?"

"No," Mikael shook his head. "I had blessedly forgotten about that until you brought it up again, Kol. I'm gonna have to go thank your brother for such pleasant mental images."

"Well, I'm sure that it wasn't pleasant for Selina to think of either," Kol told him. "I'm sure you're not the only one who's scarred for life." As Mikael glared at him, he quickly said, "Okay. Why is it that you actually came over?"

"Well, in honor of our new… _partnership_ ," Mikael got out, "I thought I should tell you everything that your sister has told me."

"Yes, that would be nice," Kol nodded. "And why are you glaring at me like that? I've not betrayed you like Elijah has. I don't deserve to be glared at. My descendants are the ones you get along with the best."

"You have a point," Mikael conceded, to everyone's surprise. "I apologize, Kol."

"You do?" Kol got out. "Wow. Being with Gwen seems to have softened you up a bit, hasn't it?"

"Do you want to know what you're up against or not?" Mikael asked in a testy voice.

"Well, what more is there to know besides the fact that my dear sister wants to kill all of us to save herself?" Kol asked. "Do I have it right?"

"Yes," Mikael nodded. "And…and she offered me the chance to go with her. That's the weird part." He paused. "You're the king of self-interest. Does it seem like she's playing both sides of the fence to see who will give her the better deal?"

"It could be," Kol nodded. "But you know her better than I do. Is that something that's reasonable for her to do? Was she always so full of self-interest?"

"Well, she was constantly having to fight with Alexander for my attention and since I was basically raising them alone until I married your mother, it was difficult," Mikael admitted. "I would like to think that this is just an attention bid and she won't actually kill us, but who knows?"

"I know we haven't always gotten along," Kol said as he went and put a hand on his father's shoulder. "But I think you made a good choice deciding to have me help you."

"Well, it takes a troublemaker to recognize a troublemaker, doesn't it?" Mikael asked.

"I'll take that as a compliment," Kol told him.

Then Mikael abruptly turned his attention to Kai. "And what's going on with your mother?" He asked him. "How much trouble is she gonna cause us?"

"At the moment, none because thanks to Vicky here, she's frozen solid on our living room floor," Kai told him.

"Good job!" Mikael complimented her. "We have one less thing to worry about and I couldn't be more appreciative."

"It's my pleasure," Victoria told him. "It's always nice when your self-serving gestures end up benefitting more people than just yourself."

"I'm gonna go call Amy now," Margot remarked. "Anyone need me for anything before I go?"

"We're good," Kol assured her and gave her a kiss and a spank on the butt. "Go call your sister."

"All right," Margot replied and began making her way to her and Kol's bedroom to look for her phone. "I will."

* * *

"Why do you keep looking over at your brother and Clarissa eating?" Percy asked Stephanie.

"Sorry," Stephanie apologized. "I know that could be seen as rude, so I'll stop and pay attention to you again."

"Thank you," Percy replied. "That's very nice of you. But really, what's going on?"

"Drew sneaked out of his room the other night and I just want to know why _so_ badly!"

"You mean you have no idea?" Percy asked. "I thought twins shared thought patterns or something."

"That's a myth by and large," Stephanie replied. Then she smiled. "I like your shirt, Percy."

"Thank you," Percy told her. "We have a new girl at the house, you know. Helene took her to get some new clothes and I went with and got some stuff for myself."

"And you're such a good dresser," Stephanie pouted. "Damn!"

"Were you hoping to make me over?" Percy asked.

"Well, a little, yes!" Stephanie nodded. "Or at least to go shopping with you."

"We can still do that," Percy replied. "I can get more clothes, you know."

"Particularly of the leather variety?" Stephanie asked and waggled her eyebrows.

"Leather? Really?" Percy asked, scoffing. "You're going to go the conventional route? I thought you would be more creative than that."

"Oh, all right," Stephanie replied. "We'll just go to the mall and see what jumps out at us, okay?"

"All right," Percy nodded and took a bite of Stephanie's pudding. "Sounds good to me."

* * *

"You see?" Stephanie smiled as she stood behind Percy and they both admired his new leather jacket in the bedroom mirror. "I _knew_ you would be able to find one that worked. You look great!"

"Yes, but I feel ridiculous!" Percy said. They marched out of his room and came across Malachai, whose eyes widened when he saw him.

"Well, that's a new look," he got out.

"See?" Percy groaned as he turned to face Stephanie. "I knew it looked wrong!"

"I didn't say that!" Malachai told him quickly. "Just that it's different. I like that you went with brown leather instead of black leather. It goes better with your eyes."

"Doesn't it, though?" Stephanie asked and pulled Percy into a bone-crunching hug while smiling at Malachai over his shoulder. "That's exactly why I insisted he buy it!"

"Um, Stephanie?" Percy asked in a muffled voice from where he was smushed up against her chest. "You wanna let me go so I can breathe, please?"

"Oh, sorry," Stephanie apologized and let him go. "Although I know of several guys who would be envious of where you just were a few seconds ago."

This made Percy raise an eyebrow.

"I didn't say I was glad for the attention!" Stephanie quickly clarified as a light blush colored her cheeks. "I just said I knew it was there. There's a difference, you know."

Her phone rang then and when she saw who it was, she quickly answered it. "Mom?" She asked. "What's going on? Are you okay? Do I need to come over and do some sort of intervention?"

"No, I'm fine," Selina assured her. "I just…I wondered if you wanted to come hunting with me."

"I thought Daddy said he didn't want you to go hunting," Stephanie replied.

"Well, he doesn't run my life," Selina told her. "And he said I couldn't do it _alone._ That's why I called you. I'm sure he wouldn't object if he knew I had a buddy that would tell me when to stop."

"I'm sure he'd find some reason to," Stephanie replied. "But I suppose if you insist on doing this, I'll be willing to help you."

"Thank you," Selina told her.

The call ended and Percy asked her, "Is everything okay?"

"Mom wants to go hunting even though that's technically a risk for her. I'm gonna go make sure she doesn't overdo it. Enjoy your new clothes!" She kissed him and went on her way then, leaving Percy to look through his bags and wonder how the hell she'd convinced him to buy all this stuff that he didn't even need. He looked up. Being told that something made your butt look good was a very powerful motivator it seemed. Yep, that was probably what had done it. It _definitely_ was.

* * *

"As much as I love you mother, is she going to be chaperoning tonight?" Ian asked Ethan.

"No," Ethan shook his head. "We can do whatever we want and she won't be coming." He paused. "I know we usually go to the fights or something, but can we start doing things that are more private?" He paused. "Unless you're not sure about me and want a way out if you get bored."

"Oh, please," Ian replied, taking Ethan's face in his hands and giving him a kiss. "You should know me better than that by now. What did you have in mind?"

"Well," Ethan said, a little surprised by Ian's showing of affection. "I was thinking we could eat and then maybe…um…I don't know. My brain has stopped there."

"Maybe that's a good thing," Ian smiled. "I have a few ideas."

"And are these ideas ones that benefit you or me?" Ethan asked, coming close enough to him that their chests touched and Ian could feel Ethan's breath on his lower lip.

"Well, of course they would benefit me," Ian replied. "But I'd make it worth your while." He whispered something in Ethan's ear and soon, Ethan found himself making dinner in his underwear and the leather jacket while Ian watched from the sofa.

"You know, I'm really enjoying the view from back here," Ian said appreciatively.

"Good," Ethan told him as he sautéed the mushrooms for the pasta dish he was making. "Cause I wouldn't want to be this scantily clad for nothing." He then paused and turned to face Ian, who sucked in a breath, his eyes widening at the sight of Ethan's bare chest. "It really wouldn't be for nothing," he got out in a husky voice. "Can I help with the cooking?"

"Sure," Ethan told him. "Why not?"

So Ian got his butt off the sofa and went to stand at the stove while Ethan stood behind him and put one arm around his waist and helped him stir up the pasta and sauce with his other hand.

"This smells awfully good," Ian admitted. "Where'd you get the recipe?"

"I get them from a lot of places," Ethan whispered.

Then Ian turned to face him. "I'm feeling a little warm," he said and then Ethan watched while he stripped off his shirt to reveal a sweat-covered chest and threw the shirt on the floor.

"Hell, if we keep this up, we might not have any trouble thinking of what to do after dinner after all," Ethan got out as his eyes swept Ian's body.

"You think?" Ian asked.

"Yeah," Ethan nodded. "I do. Now turn around and stir again. "It's okay for us to be overheated, but it won't do the sauce a lot of good."

"No," Ian turned and put some of the wine sauce on his spoon to taste it. "It really wouldn't."


	37. A Trip To The Dark Side

"Kai!" Astrid exclaimed as he strode into her office. "What can I do for you? And can you make it quick? I have a meeting in a little bit."

"I just wanted to ask if there was any way we could make me not be a vampire anymore," Kai told her. "Victoria and I…we want to have children of our own because of the whole fiasco with my mother and the twins, but since I'm a vampire, we can't. However, I thought that since I became a vampire because of being murdered, then maybe you could just fix me? I know you don't do it for everyone, but will you think about it?"

Astrid paused. "Well, you _are_ part of the bunch that's gonna stop John and Freya, aren't you? And I suppose that Victoria's first pregnancy really helped the magical world out because it got us a hold of Edele. I suppose I can think about changing you back."

"Thank you," Kai told her. "Thank you very much."

"So what did she say?" Victoria asked Kai when he got back to his house. "Did she say she would help you?"

"She said she would think about it, which isn't necessarily a 'No', right?" Kai told her.

"Oh, but it could _lead_ to a 'No', which is totally unfair!" Victoria stomped her foot. "It's not your fault that you became a vampire. You should get to change back!"

"You're right, I should," Kai nodded. "But as Astrid is the only one who has the power to make the change, if she denies us, then we're just out of luck, aren't we?"

"Are you giving up when this is something we want?" Victoria asked. "There has to be another way besides Astrid. I don't give a fuck about how shifty it is!"

Kai smiled. "All right then." He pulled her to him, bit her bottom lip, and then kissed her. "You know, I like this new 'devil may care' attitude of yours," he told her. "Well, I guess it's not really new, but I like that it's come back."

"Yeah, you know," Victoria smiled and reached up to tousle his hair. "Me too. It's nice to be back." She paused. "So…are we gonna wait for Astrid, or what?"

"Why would you want to wait to be told 'No'?" Kai asked. "We'll see who else we can talk to."

"Yeah," Victoria nodded. "Let's do it."

* * *

"Why in the hell would I help you after what you just did to me?" Edele pouted. Victoria had taken the spell off of her so that she and Kai could ask if Edele knew anyone who could help them. "Maybe I should just leave you be and let you suffer."

"I don't think you want to do that," Kai said. "You haven't even heard what we want from you."

"Well, whatever it is, I'm sure you can manage without it," Edele snapped. "Now go away. I don't want to talk to you."

She turned away from them just as Kai said, "It's about getting you a grandchild! You want to help with that, don't you?"

Edele slowly turned around then. "Are you serious?"

"Yes," Kai said and grinned, crossing his arms. "Not so dismissive now, are you? Do you know someone who can help us with this or not? Because we're pretty sure Astrid's not gonna jeopardize her standing in the magical community by helping me, even though she said she'd think about it."

"Well, there _is_ someone, but I don't think you're gonna like the answer," Edele told him. "You might hate it so much that you won't do it."

"Just tell us," Kai told her. "We don't care who it is or what we have to do."

"Talk to John then," Edele told him. "He's not beholden to the rules of the Council and he's one of the most powerful people I know. His sisters made up vampires and werewolves for god's sake! If he can't fix you, I don't know who can."

Victoria stepped back a little. "Now wait just a minute. Are you really asking us to go beg and grovel to the man who's trying to steal our two children away to fix Kai so we can have more?"

"I wasn't asking you to do anything," Edele replied. "I was just telling you something that I thought would help you in your current predicament, since you told me there was nothing you wouldn't do."

"Come on, Vicky, I'm sure it won't be so bad," Kai said, putting an arm around her. "Whatever happens, whatever he wants in return, I'm sure it's nothing we can't handle."

* * *

"Well, this is a surprise," John remarked as he opened the front door and invited Kai and Victoria inside. "Why are you here? If you've come to beg me to leave my children entirely in your care, the answer is 'No'. Not going to happen. They're too important to me."

"We understand that," Kai told him. "That's why it's not what we came for. We came because we have a request to make of you."

"Oh?" John leaned forward and crossed one leg over the other. "Do you? You know that any favor you ask will have a steep price, right? Is it one you are willing to pay?"

"Yes," Kai nodded. "I'm sure that whatever you want is something I can handle. Surely my mother's told you how bad I used to be."

"Yes," John nodded. "She _did_ love to talk about what a troublesome boy her son was and how you were so terrible she had to have you locked up in prison to keep others safe."

"Just a minute," Victoria cleared her throat. "Before you two go any further with this, I'd like to excuse myself. This is just between the two of you and I don't want to get in the way."

"A very good idea, my dear," John told her. "Men talk best when women aren't present."

Victoria got up and when John was looking down to pick up his wine glass, Victoria blew a raspberry at him and stomped off.

"Now that your ill-mannered wife is out of the way, what is it that you want from me?" John asked Kai. "I have to say that I'm intrigued. It must be something quite illegal because if it wasn't, you'd be asking the Council instead of a man you hate more than life itself."

"Oh, don't flatter yourself," Kai told him. "I still hate my mother more than I'll _ever_ hate you. But what I want is to be given life again. I was murdered with vampire blood in my system, and even though I got my magic back from Astrid as part of an earlier deal, I can't father children and because Finn and Molly aren't ours, Victoria and I were thinking that we want to have some of our own that can't be stolen away."

John heard this last bit and chuckled. "Yes, I'm sure you do. I would have loved to see the look on your face when Edele broke the news to you about your children's true parentage. It must've been quite heartbreaking for you."

"Not really," Kai shook his head. "You and my mother might be their biological parents, but since Vicky and I raised them, they're just as much ours. Even more so, actually. And that'll be true no matter what you say. So tell me what I need to do for you in order to be able to be a father again?"

"Well, it's not _just_ something you'll need to do for me," John smiled. "The spell that will bring you back to your old magical self will also bring back your darkness. Possibly make you even darker than you used to be."

"That's fine," Kai shrugged. "Victoria's used to that. It's not like it'll drive her away."

John leaned in closer. "Maybe not. But you know what will? Her finding out that you're going to be helping me. That's the other part of the price. Is it still worth it to you? Is knowing that you're finally going to be able to send your mother where you felt she's belonged for years worth more to you? Or would you spare your mother to save your wife? I'll be interested to see which one you choose."

"Oh, there's no contest!" Kai got out. "I'd pick Vicky every time."

"You say that now," John chuckled evilly. "But you'll probably think differently once the spell is in place. Just to warn you."

"I'll do it anyway," Kai told him firmly. "Just fix me."

"All right," John sighed and started readying the spell. "But don't say I didn't warn you of the consequences."

And after the spell was done and Kai had been sent on his way, Freya came into the living room and John pulled her to him. "Did you hear that, my love?" He asked her. "We have someone else on our side! It's amazing how desperate love can make people."

"Exactly," Freya nodded. "Caring like that just gets you into trouble. That's why I only decided to care about me…and no one else."

"Are you sure?" John asked. "You better not be lying to me."

"Why would I do that if it meant I was going to die?" Freya asked, a smile curving her lips as she kissed him. "I'm not stupid."

"Well, I would hope you're not," John told her. "Cause I would hate to have to kill you when I've just begun to get used to having you here."

* * *

"Stephanie!" Percy whispered one night when he found her standing over his bed. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I was talking to my friend Clarissa and when _she_ wanted to be with her boyfriend, she sneaked into his room in the middle of the night, so I thought I would do the same thing," Stephanie told him. "I didn't suggest you get the tight pants for nothing, you know."

"I should have figured that was one of the reasons why you wanted them for me, but can we discuss this first?" Percy requested.

"What's there to discuss?" Stephanie asked. "I mean, would you rather not? You want me to buy you dinner first?"

"I don't know," Percy shook his head. "It's just that I've never really thought about it."

Stephanie smiled, her teeth flashing white in the darkness before she grabbed him and gave him a kiss that sent warmth spreading through his body.

"Are you thinking of it now?" She asked after they pulled apart, even though Percy still kept a lose hold on her.

"Yes," he whispered. "But I…I don't know what to do about it."

"I know you do," Stephanie told him. "Why are you hesitating?"

Percy got up and went to turn the lights on, revealing that his face was bright red. "Well," he got out, "I, um…uh, would you…" he waved his hand in an abstract way and then blushed even redder.

"Is this a way to tell me that you'd like me to change my outfit," Stephanie asked.

"Yes," Percy nodded. "Please. Or I at least want to ask if I can."

"Sure," Stephanie nodded. "Knock yourself out." She was just _dying_ to know what his fantasies were.

He zapped her and she found herself in a gauzy white see-through robe over a pair of lacy white panties and a matching bra. She also felt something on her head and something else protruding from her back.

"Okay, I get the outfit," she said as he swaggered toward her with a grin and pulled her to him. "But what's on my head and back?"

"I'll explain later," he told her. "Just go with it, please."

"All right," she shrugged as he nibbled on her neck (which she knew would leave a hickey she'd have to explain tomorrow), and then opened her robe and pushed it off her shoulders so she just stood before him in her panties. Then she watched as he undressed and, just as she'd seen the day they went to buy him new clothes, he was much more cut under his polo than people would believe.

Then, he picked her up (again, something very surprising,) and took her to bed where he gazed at her with tenderness as he stroked her cheek and played with her hair before deftly removing her bra and panties and parting her legs to kiss her inner thighs. As he got closer and closer to her center, she felt her hips buck forward. She wondered where in the hell he'd learned all this, but she didn't want to ask for fear of destroying the very delightful fantasy she was currently in the middle of. Then, he took her in his arms and whispered in her ear, "I love you, my angel," before slipping inside her and filling her over and over again as she grinned and kissed his cheek. An angel. That explained what was on her head. And what was on her back. Wings. Wings and a halo. She was his angel and tonight, he was a devil in the guise of a really sweet and handsome guy.

* * *

"Oh, my god," Ethan started as he opened the door to what he thought was Ian's knock, but found himself face to face with a man in glasses, a charcoal gray vest over a shirt with the sleeves rolled up, pants that matched the vest, and black loafers. His dark hair was blown dry and had height, and his eyes sparkled at the look on Ethan's face.

"Excuse me," Ethan said when he could get a breath. "But who are you?"

"Ethan, for god's sake, it's me, Ian!" He told him, then grabbed him and kissed him deeply. "See? My god, what was the point of me wearing these clothes for you if you don't even recognize me in them?"

"Right, you look good," Ethan replied and cleared his throat. His legs began to feel like jelly, and as he felt himself start to fall from surprise, Ian reached out to catch him.

"Are you all right?" Ian asked and grinned as he looked down into Ethan's shocked eyes. "I wouldn't have dressed this way if I'd known you were gonna react to it so badly."

"Oh, I'm not reacting badly," Ethan shook his head. "Um…do you mind if we delay dinner for a bit? I'm not very hungry."

Ian smiled. "I thought you wouldn't be," he said and took Ethan's hand, making a massaging motion on his palm with his thumb and kissing his earlobe. "Is there…anything I can do to help you get your appetite back?"

"Yeah," Ethan nodded and let out a breath. "I really think there is."

They then went into Ethan's bedroom and Ian let Ethan undress him and then he did the same before they wrapped their arms around each other, kissing deeply as they fell back onto his mattress.

After he ran his hands over Ethan's body, Ian began to stroke him before leaning down and sucking on him gently.

Ethan shut his eyes and gripped the edge of the mattress as he felt his breathing pick up. It took a little time, but then he felt his body heat up and then he came as his body twitched and he emitted a slight grunt.

"Good?" Ian whispered as he kissed up his bare chest. "Was it good?"

"Yeah," Ethan smiled. "It was."

Ian began touching him again and smiling widely. "Cause you know, if it wasn't, I can always do it more if you like."

"You know what?" Ethan whispered, sitting up and pulling Ian to him. "I think we should just skip dinner, don't you?"

"Yes," Ian nodded and kissed him. "It's all right with me."


	38. At All Costs

Both Ethan and Ian woke up in Ethan's bed the next morning to the ringing of Ian's phone on his bedside table.

"Sorry," Ian told Ethan quickly and grabbed it to answer it while Ethan put his arms around him. "What?" He said irritably, since the caller was Samantha and he didn't really feel like talking to her.

"I just want to know where the hell you are," Samantha replied. "I tried to call you last night and you didn't answer."

"Well, I don't have to just because you want to talk to me," Ian snapped. "I was busy with other things! And I told you where I was. You knew I was having dinner with Ethan."

"Yes, but people usually come _home_ from dinner!" Samantha cried. "Or at least let people know they'll be out late, but can you take two minutes to do that? _No."_ She was talking loud enough that Ethan could clearly hear what was being said.

"Give me the phone," he said to his visibly irritated boyfriend. "Let me try and reason with her."

"Good luck," Ian told him with a sigh.

"I'm sorry," Ethan apologized after greeting Samantha. "We just were having such a good time talking and stuff last night that we thought it would be best if Ian stayed the night. We didn't mean to worry you."

"Oh," Samantha said, finally getting it. "Oh, that's fine. I should be apologizing for bothering you. Glad to know things worked out. Goodbye."

"Bye," Ethan told her. He ended the call and handed the phone to a shocked Ethan. "Now," he said and gave Ian a kiss. "Where were we?"

"I think you just answered your own question," Ian replied. "How the hell did you make her hang up? I can never do that!"

"You just have to be firm," Ethan replied. "Tell people where you stand and don't let them distract you, even if they're a person like your sister."

"Ah," Ian nodded. "I'll remember that. Or maybe I'll just let _you_ handle all my sister's phone calls from now on."

"Oh, no, you shouldn't do that," Ethan shook his head. "You need to talk to your sister sometimes. It's only right."

"Well, let's just hope that it's awhile before we have to deal with family again," Ian smiled. "I think I've had enough for one day."

* * *

However, this wish wasn't granted because later that day while Ian and Ethan were playing their favorite game involving Ethan and his leather jacket, they heard the turn of a key in the front door.

"What the hell is that?" Ian asked as Ethan paused and looked up and quickly stopped stroking him.

"It's probably nothing to worry about," Ethan replied. "I gave my mother a key, but she's all right with stuff like this. It doesn't bother her."

"Not even that I'm _naked?"_ Ian pointed out and scrambled to reach for the waded up blanket on the sofa to cover himself up with just as Selina and Elijah opened the door.

"Sorry!" Selina apologized after getting enough of a look to know that they were busy and quickly turning her back while Elijah stared in opened mouthed horror because although Ian was mostly covered by the blanket, it was still obvious that he wasn't wearing anything underneath. "We should have called. We didn't mean to interrupt."

"Well, you have," Ian said and zapped himself into some clothes. "So what brings you here?"

"Selina, why don't you tell them?" A bright red Elijah requested of his wife. "I'm gonna go out and wait in the car and try to see if I can compel myself to forget what I just saw." He left and Selina held the key out to Ethan.

"You can have this back," she said. "Clearly I'm not responsible enough to handle it."

"No," Ethan shook his head. "It's your key. You keep it. Just call first before you come over, okay?"

"All right," Selina nodded and sat down. "Will do. I have to say I'm glad that things have progressed beyond just going to the fights with you two."

They looked at one another and Ethan took Ian's hand. "Yeah…we had to tell Ian's sister about it this morning, so it's really hitting home that things are beginning to change."

"Well, I'm happy for you both," Selina smiled and stood up. "I just wanted to come by and check in and now that I've done that, I'm gonna go and leave you in peace and if you need anything, just let me know, okay?"

"All right," Ethan smiled. "Thank you, Mother."

"You're welcome," Selina replied and headed off to join Elijah in the car and take him home to calm him down.

* * *

"Why the hell are we doing this?," Kai asked Victoria as they drove to his cousin's house. "Sean's not gonna want to help us or give us reassurance or anything. In fact, he'll probably take it as another example of what a horrible person I am." Even though he knew he should, he'd neglected to tell Victoria about _all_ the parts of his deal with John. Like the part where he'd turn against her, for instance.

"I'm sure they'll understand," Victoria replied. "I mean, it's a shame that you have to give up being a pleasant person so we can have children, but it probably won't be anything I haven't seen before."

"That's exactly what I said to John when he told me what the price was," Kai replied. "He tried to make it seem like you'd hate me for what I did, but I told him, 'Nope. It's nothing she hasn't seen before'."

"And before we have our next child, we should probably discuss it with your mother and the twins to be sure there won't be any hurt feelings or interference," Victoria added.

"Or we could just do whatever the fuck we want and then tell them all they have to deal with it," Kai suggested. "Why we have to make all our choices based on what other people think is something I don't get."

Victoria sighed and just kept on driving. He really _had_ lost all his heart from the deal with John. He hadn't been kidding.

They arrived at Sean's and Kai stayed in the car for several minutes before Victoria finally pulled him out and dragged him to the door, ordering him to be still while she knocked.

When someone finally opened the door, it wasn't Kai's cousin Sean, but his wife, Eva, who was a cousin of Victoria's. "Hi, you guys!" She greeted them brightly. She, as was usually the case at home, had a tiara perched securely on her head and a smile on her face. "Nice to see you. I know we haven't been able to see each other a lot because of all the craziness, but I'm glad you could finally come!"

They all sat down and discussed how much of a relief it was that John hadn't recently antagonized Junior or the twins, although it would be stupid to think they were done with them forever.

"And what about your mother?" Eva asked Kai. "Does she still have any intention of coming after Mary?"

"She hasn't mentioned any," Kai shook his head. "But I have a feeling that if I ask for clarification of that, we'll get exactly the opposite, and just have _more_ trouble on our hands."

"Did you hear about Grandpa Mikael teaming up with my Grandpa Kol?" Victoria asked Eva.

"No!" Eva said in surprise. "Is that seriously happening? I mean, I shouldn't be surprised because Grandpa Mikael would team up with Kol before, say, Grandpa Klaus, but given how much Grandpa Mikael grumbles about Kol, it's still a bit of a surprise that they're working together."

"Grandma Gwen had the idea," Victoria explained. "Thought that since Freya seems to be hopping back and forth between wanting to keep Grandpa alive and wanting to kill him, he should have someone else help him talk to her, and apparently since Kol can be just as dangerous as Freya, she thought he would make a good partner in crime."

"Yeah," Eva chuckled. "I can see that."

"And speaking of partners in crime that could go wrong," Kai told them, "I think I should tell Vicky about the price I had to pay for John to fix me."

"I thought you already did!" Victoria told him. "There's _more_?"

"He wants me to help him fight against you and your family," he told her, his voice cold. "And since you said I should make the deal without hesitation, no matter what the price was, I told him that was okay."

"You did?" Victoria asked.

"Yeah," Kai nodded, a grin curving his lips. "Didn't even hesitate."

"You could have _a little_!" Victoria told him, feeling a little hurt. "What's the point of us having a kid if you're gonna kill me?"

"You said that I shouldn't hesitate and that you didn't care how shifty the deal was," Kai told her. "I took you at your word and now you have exactly what you wanted."

"This wasn't what I meant!" Victoria told him. "Are you seriously gonna try and kill me? Are we really enemies now?"

"Yes," Kai told her firmly, then smiled as he strode over and pulled her to himself and kissed her, "Enemies with benefits. Won't it be fun?" He then glared at Eva over her shoulder. "Do you mind?" He asked. "Vicky and I want to be alone. Go be somewhere else."

"No problem," Eva said. "I was just about to go anyway. If he gives you any trouble you can't handle, just let me know, Victoria. I've got your back."

Kai heard this and his eyes twinkled. "You know, I wouldn't mind if you joined us."

"I would," Eva told him and gave him a slap across the face before striding off to join Sean in the library.

* * *

"You don't have to do this, you know," Stephanie told Percy as they stood staring at her parents' front door and debating about whether to go in and tell her parents what they'd done.

"Yes, I do!" Percy replied. "I know your dad and I can't just let him be ignorant of what we did and continue to see you. It's dishonest!"

"But you know he'll probably be pissed at you for deflowering me before we're married," Stephanie reasoned. "He might even flunk you! Do you think you can afford that?"

"Don't be so dramatic," Percy told her and knocked. "Don't think the worst of things before you actually know what will happen."

"I know my father better than you do," Stephanie replied. "And I think we should tell Malachai and Helene before we tell my mom and dad. Please?"

"Oh, fine!" Stephanie replied. "Let's go." They were making their way back to the driveway so Percy could zap them to Malachai's when Selina drove up. "Hi," she said, parking and poking her head out the window. "Wanna explain where you sneaked out to last night, Stephanie Isabelle?"

"Fine," Stephanie nodded. "But you can't tell Daddy. Not yet. Promise?"

"Of course," Selina assured her and got out of her car to come stand by the window. "So do tell."

Percy and Stephanie both gazed at one another for a moment and then Stephanie blurted out, "I sneaked out to have sex with Percy last night! But I took my pill, I swear!"

"Ah," Selina nodded. "No wonder you didn't want your dad to hear about this."

"Do you think he'll be mad?" Stephanie asked. "Or because Percy is good, will he be not mad?"

"Oh, he'll be mad, all right," Selina nodded after letting out a breath. "Even your sister Laura wasn't spared a lecture when your dad found out about her and Edward."

"What?" Stephanie asked, her jaw dropping a little. Her sister Laura's husband Edward was one of the most harmless, wonderful people she'd ever met. "What sort of problem could Daddy have possibly had with _him_?"

"It was the werewolf issue," Selina sighed. "Your dad didn't like the fact that Edward hid his being a werewolf."

"But you have werewolf blood and he likes _you_ ," Stephanie pointed out. "What's the difference?"

"Well, before he became one himself, I was the rare exception to the rule," Selina replied. "Actually, I think I am in a lot of ways for your father." She sighed.

"All right, so Daddy will react badly," Stephanie nodded. "We knew that. That's why we're going to tell Malachai and Helene first."

"Why do you have to tell _anyone_?" Selina asked. "Why is it anyone else's business as long as you were careful?"

"I don't think it is, but Percy's conscience is telling him that it would be deceptive and wrong not to share the information with those nearest and dearest to us, so that's what we're doing. We were on our way to Helene and Malachai's just now."

"All right," Selina nodded. "Carry on. Good luck!"

"And remember that you said you wouldn't say a word of this to Daddy!" Stephanie reminded her mother.

"Of course not," Selina saluted as Percy helped Stephanie into the car. "He won't hear a word from me."

* * *

Unfortunately, Malachai's reaction to the news wasn't much better. In fact, you could say it wasn't better at all.

"How could you two do this?" He got out. He didn't yell it, but spoke in a voice of deadly calm that said the words 'I'm very disappointed in you' without saying them at all. "So many things are going on right now that the last thing we need is to constantly worry about you getting Stephanie pregnant because you can't control yourselves! Honestly, I thought I could count on you to be smarter than that!"

"And we thought we could count on you to be understanding and think about this in a rational manner, but I guess we were wrong!" Percy shouted back. "I guess you're just as much of a hypocrite about this as Stephanie's father will be. I mean, you weren't married when you had William, were you?"

Malachai shut his eyes. "That has no bearing on the discussion at hand!" He snapped. "Don't try and change the subject!"

"I'm not," Percy said, shielding Stephanie protectively. "I'm just trying to point out how badly you're handling this when it could just as easily be discussed calmly and rationally, or not at all."

Malachai pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes, then stalked off in the direction of his and Helene's bedroom without another word.

"Well, that could have gone better," Stephanie got out in a muted voice once he had disappeared. "And it doesn't give me much hope for how Dad will react, either."

Percy then looked at Helene. "Did I do something wrong? You can be honest with me so that if I did, I don't repeat it in the future."

"Of course you didn't do anything wrong," Helene assured him. "Malachai's just a bit tense right now because of all the trouble going on, but that's his issue, not yours. I'll talk to him. But it might be best for you two to go out and amuse yourselves elsewhere for a bit until he calms down."

"We were just about to do that," Stephanie assured her. "We promise. Good luck with Malachai!"

They sped out of the house and once Helene heard them drive away, she went to search for Malachai and came upon him just as he was ending a call on his phone. His smug expression made Helene worry, so she asked, "Who were you talking to?"

"I was speaking with Elijah," Malachai replied. "Telling him how our children have deceived us. He seemed very glad to know."

"They didn't deceive you!" Helene shook her head. "They were honest about what went on! And they didn't even wait a million years to say anything either! That's the exact opposite of lying and it's this sort of reaction from you that makes me wonder why they bothered being honest at all."

"You think I should have been kinder?" Malachai asked, his dark eyes flashing. "Do you realize what this kind of imprudent behavior could lead to? I don't need that kind of stress in addition to the amount of stress I'm already experiencing!"

"So your solution is to make things more difficult for Stephanie and Percy by tattling to her father like a child when they probably would have told him on their own time?" Helene asked. "I know we're going through a lot right now, but that's _not_ the way to handle it!"

"Oh?" Malachai raised an eyebrow. "And what would you have me do instead?"

"If you can't say anything nice, or at least constructive," Helene replied simply, "don't say anything at all. Just thank them for their honesty and the fact that they put their trust in you. That's it. I mean, it's too late to do that now, but it's something to think about." She then strode off before Malachai had a chance to respond and shut the door behind her.

* * *

Selina heard banging and swearing and strode in the direction of Elijah's office, knocking her usual knock and calling out, "Everything okay in there? Anything you want to talk about?"

"No, everything is _not_ all right!" Elijah called back. "Get in here, would you?"

"Yes, since you asked so nicely," Selina replied and opened the door, coming to take her usual chair on the opposite side of Elijah's desk. "What's happening?"

"Malachai just called," Elijah spat. "Did you know that Percy told him that he and Stephanie had sex last night? My Stephanie has been deflowered! I don't understand what's happening at all! First we walk in on Ethan and now Stephanie apparently sneaks out right under my nose. Do my children not remember any of my talks about pre-marital sex?"

"Oh, I bet they do, which is why they tell _me_ when stuff like this happens and not you," Selina told him, a smirk dancing on her lips.

"You mean you knew about this?" Elijah asked. "How long have you been keeping it from me?"

"Yeah, they told me before they went to tell Helene and Malachai," Selina said. "And can I ask what you think getting so worked up about over this is going to accomplish? And to answer your other question, I've only known literally a few more minutes than you have, so it's not some big secret I've been keeping for ages."

"Why does my anger have to accomplish anything?" Elijah asked and leaned his face really close to hers. "Why can't I just be angry?"

"Fine, be angry," Selina replied and kissed him. "Get your feelings out. And when you've got a clear head and can talk about this like the calm, rational person you usually are, you know where I'll be: Calling our dear daughter Laura and seeing if she can talk some sense into you. That, or another option that has been known to distract you." She got up out of the chair, sashayed toward the office door, and gave a little wink and a wave before shutting it behind her, after which Elijah poured himself a drink, mixed some blood in, and whispered to himself after he downed it, "If she thinks she can distract me from this using her womanly charms, she is sorely mistaken." He poured himself one more drink and then turned his chair away from the door to wallow in the news and think about all the things he'd like to do to Percy.


	39. Bottling Up Feelings

"So Daddy, tell me again what happened, and slowly and clearly," Laura Mikaelson Emerson, Elijah and Selina's eldest daughter, repeated in a calm voice. They were in her basement salon during a slow period in her day, and luckily Katherine Pierce, who worked as Laura's assistant, was out to lunch and wouldn't have to hear this and add to his humiliation.

"Why do I have to repeat myself?" Elijah asked as she massaged his scalp. "Do you just like hearing it because it amuses you?"

"No," Laura shook her head. "I just want to get a good grip on what the problem is because right now, I don't get it." When Elijah refused to talk, she looked at her mother, whose wide blue eyes and dark hair she shared. "You wanna tell me since he won't?"

"We accidentally came upon your brother Ethan having sex with his new boyfriend on the same day your sister Stephanie and _her_ boyfriend confessed that they've also been in bed together," Selina said as Elijah groaned and tensed. "That's what happened. And I don't get the crankiness because both boys are so nice!"

"What if I invite Percy to dinner so we can discuss what happened like calm and rational people?" Elijah proposed. "Is that good enough?"

"Yes," Laura and Selina said at the same time before Laura instructed her father to stand up and go to the sink so she could wash his hair and do his cut.

"Are you really gonna talk to him like calm and rational person?" Selina asked. "Or are you just telling me that so I won't continue to badger you?"

"I'll be civil," Elijah assured her. "I realize killing students isn't a good thing to do and I will do my best to keep a hold on my temper."

"You say that now when Percy's not standing in front of you, but I bet that when you actually see him, the werewolf rage will take over," Selina told him.

"Oh, please, darling," Elijah told her. "Ever since Niklaus' father kidnapped me and turned me into a beast, I've done a remarkable job of keeping it under control and this will be no different."

"Okay," Selina replied skeptically because she knew better than he did what the effects of repressed emotion on a werewolf were. "Whatever you say, Elijah."

Just then, Katherine's voice sounded on the upper floor. "I'm back!" She cried and the following series of clicking noises made by her heels made it seem like she was coming toward the stairs.

"Of all the days for her to actually be done with lunch when she's supposed to be," Laura sighed and washed Elijah's hair off before ushering him into a chair and picking up the scissors.

"Well, look who's here!" Katherine exclaimed when she saw Elijah. "Laura didn't tell me you were coming in!"

"That's because they were a walk-in during a slow period," Laura explained. "I didn't know they were gonna show up until they did."

"Ah, all right," Katherine nodded and got out a bottle of red nail polish and a washcloth to put her hands on while pointedly ignoring Selina on the sofa. This was typical, however, so Selina was used to it.

Even though Katherine could only see Elijah's shoulders, she felt the need to comment, "You seem tense, Elijah. Is there anything I can do?"

"No," Selina told her quickly. "Just keep painting your nails and Laura will do her thing."

"What are you doing to stress him out so much?" Katherine asked her.

"I'm not doing anything!" Selina replied. "How dare you accuse me of that!"

"Okay, enough!" Elijah replied, moving his head in a way that made Laura very glad she was using scissors and not a clipper. "I don't want to hear you two fight!"

"Fine," Selina sighed and a forced smile curved her lips. "How are Gregory and Elizabeth?"

"Fine," Katherine replied. "Christopher is doing well in school, and according to my daughter, Charlie had a tough time telling him goodbye on his first day."

"Did he?" Selina smiled, thinking of her grandson getting misty-eyed over his son going away to school.

"Yep," Laura added. "But Eli and Rebecca take him out during the day to distract him, so he's getting better."

"As for Gregory," Katherine continued, "He's doing okay too. Still working on his charity stuff and doing good and all that. He said he might call you soon."

"Good," Selina nodded. "I can't wait."

They lapsed into silence and didn't speak again.

* * *

"And that," Selina told Elijah as they left Laura's house later, "is how you handle talking to someone you can't stand, but can't kill."

"You did well," Elijah replied. "Now, are we still doing the dinner thing?"

"Yes," Selina nodded. "We said that was a good idea."

"All right," Elijah nodded. "I'll get the invitations made up. Cause I assume you want more than just Percy and Stephanie there?"

"Yes," Selina nodded. "That'll make it less like an inquisition and more like a party. And that's what we want."

"Yes," Elijah sighed. "I suppose we do."

* * *

"I have a question," Ian said to Ethan as Ethan got ready for work the next day. "Does your father know you're gay? He seemed pretty shocked."

"Oh, he knows," Ethan nodded. "He just prefers not to think about it, and what he saw was pretty hard to avoid, wasn't it?"

"Ah, the conservative type," Ian nodded and helped Ethan fasten his cufflinks.

"Yes," Ethan nodded. "Exactly. The man's lived a thousand years. You would think that something like that wouldn't throw him by now, but it does."

"It's hard to believe that someone like your mother would like him so much," Ian remarked.

"Sometimes I don't get it either," Ethan replied. "But it is what it is. Your sister called again and wants to have dinner with us. I have a feeling that if we keep avoiding her, she'll just keep calling, so will you let me give her date already?"

"Fine," Ian huffed. "If you think it's so important, go ahead. But why people can't just leave us alone is just…I don't get why that is so difficult for them to understand."

* * *

"What are all the other place settings for?" Ian asked as he watched his sister set out place settings for a table that had more than four seats. "I thought it would just be Ian and me and you and Stefan."

"I thought that too, at first," Samantha replied. "But then I decided to invite some other people too. Give you a bit more of a social circle."

Ian's eyes narrowed. "How _many_ more other people? Not a lot I hope. You know I'm not good with crowds, Sam. I'm not even good with other people! But I'm stuck with you, and Ethan just got lucky!"

"Oh, I'm sure he has," Samantha chuckled and then made a noise of pain when Ian poked her with a fork.

"Tell me how many other people are coming to this thing," he told her firmly. "I hope it's not too many."

"Just two more couples in addition to the four of us," Samantha assured her brother. "And it will only be for a couple of hours." She paused. "And if it gets to be too much for you, you can excuse yourself and I'll find a way to explain your absence, okay? But at least give it half an hour."

"Oh, all right," Ian sighed. "The things I do for you."

"What's going on?" Ethan asked when he came back from the store a few minutes later with eggs, flour, and milk.

"Samantha invited some other people to this party and didn't think to mention it until just now," Ian grumbled.

"Oh. It'll be fine," Ethan told him with a smile. "Just give it half an hour. You might have fun!"

"That's what Samantha said!" Ian cried. "Did you know about the crowd ahead of time? Are you and she in cahoots or something?"

"No," Ethan shook his head and gave Ian a hug. "I'm just more sociable than you are."

* * *

A couple hours later, everyone had arrived for the dinner and was enjoying drinks before sitting down to eat. Ian and Ethan were keeping to themselves while Samantha and Stefan chatted with Damon and Annie, who wore jeans and sneakers despite the fact that everyone else was in more formal dress.

The last two at the party were Samantha's sister Davina and her boyfriend Thomas. He'd been warned by his mother not to drink too much because of the family issues with alcohol, so Davina poured him a soda in the kitchen and kept the cup out of reach when Thomas tried to put some alcohol in it.

"You can't do that!" She shook her head. "Didn't you hear your mother say that it's not a good idea for you to have any?"

"Well, I knew Mom said that, but she's not here right now, so I'm taking a little!" Thomas said and heedlessly dumped some of the rum he held into his drink.

"Okay," Davina said and zapped the bottle out of a shocked Thomas' hand. "That's enough. You shouldn't even have had what you did!"

"I helped you kill your bitch of a mother," Thomas told. "You shouldn't push me around!"

"I'm only doing this because I care and I want to keep you around and happy," Davina replied. "I don't want you to be drink and miserable like your mother was."

"This isn't enough to get me drunk!" Thomas informed her. "I just had a little bit!"

"And you shouldn't have any more," Davina told him firmly. Then she grabbed him and kissed him. "There," she said when she pulled away. "Maybe if I give you something else to do with your mouth, you won't be so intent on drinking."

"Yeah," Thomas grinned and cupped her bottom as he pulled her against himself. "You have a point."

As they kissed, Samantha slipped into the kitchen to tell them that it was time to eat, but when she saw them, she just let them be and hoped they would come join the rest of the party when they were done.

When she got back to the table, she sat down next to Stefan, who whispered in her ear, "Where'd they go?"

"They were busy at the moment," Samantha replied. "They'll be here soon, I'm sure. If not, more leftovers for us." She then turned and tried to get her brother and Damon to talk. "Are you still wanting to get a motorcycle?" She prodded Ian. "Damon has one. Maybe he can give you advice about which one to get."

"Sure," Ian nodded. "All right." They then got into a discussion about motorcycles, leaving Ethan to have a talk with Annie.

"I bet you're wondering why I'm not dressed fancy like everyone else," she said, staring him down, her voice full of challenge. "Go ahead and ask me why I'm not dressed fancy like everyone else."

"I would, but you don't seem like the sort who likes to dress up, so that's probably why," Ethan replied. "Is it?"

"That and I've not had a lot of occasions in my life to wear fancy clothes so I don't have any," Annie replied.

"Well, do you want some?" Ethan asked. "I've been told that I have quite the fashion sense."

"Thanks, but I don't do charity," Annie replied. "If the situation ever comes up where I need to wear something fancy and have no way around it, I'll deal."

"All right," Ethan nodded. "Whatever you want."

"Do you know how to use a gun?" Annie asked him. "Damon's teaching me how to shoot a gun."

"No, but my mother knows how to shoot really well," Ethan replied. "Damon taught her as a matter of fact. They were really close when they were human."

Annie's jaw dropped a little. "Is your mom that Lina person Damon's always going on about?"

"Yeah," Ethan nodded. "You know about my mother?"

"Not a lot," Annie shook her head. "Just that she's a really good shot. Would you pass the potatoes, please?"

"Sure," Ethan replied and picked up the heavy bowl. "Take them."

"Look who's here!" Stefan called loudly as Davina and Thomas tried to slip into the dining room and take their seats without being noticed.

"I hope there's still food left," Thomas remarked, not at all put off by Stefan's less than subtle attempt to humiliate him.

"Probably is, but we took so long that I bet it's cold," Davina replied. She took some vegetables, a roll, and some pasta and then gave her plate a zap to make sure everything was warm.

"You want me to heat your stuff up for you?" She asked Thomas, then gasped when she saw his plate was practically empty. "How quickly can you eat?"

"Fast," Thomas said, his mouth full. "I've always had a big appetite." He gave her a hot look. "For many things."

Davina giggled and kicked him under the table.

Just before dessert, Ethan excused himself and brought Ian away from the table. "How are you doing?" He asked. "Have you had enough? Do you want to go somewhere private and be alone?"

"No, I'm actually doing pretty good for now," Ian assured him. "Samantha gave me a specific person to be engaged with and I think that helped."

"Good," Ethan smiled. "I'm glad.

"You want to help me get the cake?" Samantha asked her brother.

"Sure," Ian agreed and both he and Ethan followed her into the kitchen. "Why not? I'd be glad to."

* * *

"Can you explain to me why we're ditching history again?" Stephanie asked Percy as he pulled her into an empty classroom and they listened to the bell ring, which meant they were late. "Daddy's giving me enough trouble as it is. Remember, _I_ have to live with him!"

"I'm sorry," Percy told her. "But I just can't face him. It's too embarrassing!"

"Why?" Stephanie asked. "Don't tell me you're ashamed of what we did."

"Of course not, but…I didn't know that it would upset your dad so much!" Percy told her. "If we had, I would have waited."

"I know, but between the two us, I'm really glad you didn't," Stephanie replied and then kissed his earlobe.

They stayed in the empty classroom and then, when the bell rang again, Stephanie told Percy goodbye and headed for her next class, where, the second she walked in, Elijah approached her, and put an envelope with Percy's name in calligraphy on the front. "Give this to Percy," he told her. "I want to invite him to dinner."

"Why?" Stephanie asked. "If this is about what he and I did…" She paused. " _He_ won't be the dinner, will he?"

"Of course not!" Elijah shook his head. "I'd get in trouble for eating a student!"

"Good," Stephanie nodded. "All right, I'll give this to him. But don't give him too much trouble, will you?"

"No," Elijah shook his head. "I swear I won't."

* * *

Despite Elijah's repeated assurances, Selina was still very concerned on the night of the dinner that something bad would happen to Percy. "What are you gonna to do to him?" Selina asked. "This better not just be some ploy to lure him here and then treat him badly because of what he and Stephanie did."

"Of course it's about what he and Stephanie did!" Elijah replied. "I think that as her father, I have a right to tell Percy how upset I am by what he did and make sure he never does it again. Or at least not until he and Stephanie get married."

"I think you oughta give him a break," Selina replied. "Or I might have to do something you'll hate me for."

"Oh?" Elijah asked. "And what's that? Withhold sex?"

"No," Selina shook her head. "Remind my own father that you and I weren't married the first time you took _me_ to bed. And remember, he's just as gung-ho about his daughter not being deflowered early as you are." She circled him. "I wonder how pissed he'll be? Granted, he's still kind of ticked off about Junior and Sarah sneaking around under his nose, but I'm sure he could still show some anger to you."

"You wouldn't really do that, would you?" Elijah asked.

"I don't want to, but I will if you aren't civil," Selina told him firmly. "It shouldn't be as hard a thing as you're making it out to be."

So Elijah put a smile on his face and greeted all his dinner guests in turn. He sat between Stephanie and Percy, but he kept the conversation light, although Selina could tell that it was taking every ounce of control that he had in him.

Drew sensed that his sister was taking a lot of heat, so after a talk with Clarissa, he decided to give his father a distraction. "Clarissa and I went swimming the other night, Dad," he got out. "In the lake by her house."

"Yeah," Clarissa added. "We weren't wearing anything at the time." She paused. "Well, I wasn't. Drew kept his bathing trunks on."

"And who does that remind us of?" Selina asked, giving Elijah a wink. They waited for him to explode at Drew the way he exploded at Percy, but instead, he just laughed. "Well, I'm so proud of you!" He got out. "Going after what you want, an attitude completely befitting someone of your blood."

"Excuse me?" Selina got out, her jaw dropping. "Elijah, can we talk?"

"No," Elijah shook his head. "I think I want to keep talking to Percy here."

"You need to come," Selina told him firmly and both she and Laura, who was just as horrified, pulled at him until he finally agreed to come with them to a corner.

"What the hell was that speech all about?" Selina asked angrily. "You get all uppity about your daughters experimenting with their sexuality, even carefully, but when it comes to the boys, they can do whatever the hell they want and you're proud? How is that fair?"

"Well, in Drew's defense, he didn't actually _do_ anything," Elijah pointed out. "You heard Clarissa; he kept his trunks on. It wouldn't have hurt Stephanie to exercise the same kind of caution."

"Oh, come on, Daddy," Laura chided. "You would have been just as proud if Drew had gone all the way. Admit it! Admit that you're being a hypocrite!"

"Can we not discuss this now?" Elijah asked them. "We have company!"

"No, we have to discuss it now, because if we wait, you'll just brush it off!" Selina replied.

Meanwhile, Percy was asking Edward, "How much trouble do you think I'm in? He's being nice, but you can tell he wants to kill me."

"I wouldn't worry about it," Edward said. "With Selina keeping an eye on him, his bark is really worse than his bite. He'll lose interest in a little bit as long as you keep your nose clean in the future."

"Are you sure?" Percy asked.

"Yes," Drew agreed and put a hand on Percy's arm. "Between me and my mom, and Stephanie, there are tons of people who want to make sure you come out of this alive. So why don't you take a deep breath and eat your steak before it gets cold?"

"All right," Percy replied and bit some meat off his fork. "Whatever you say. I trust you." He ate although he could still hear the arguing that plunged the rest of dinner into awkwardness.

* * *

After everyone was gone, (the twins even excused themselves as fast as they could), Elijah helped Selina clean up and they kept to themselves until nightfall when Selina heard a knock on the library door and put her book down as Elijah strode up to her.

"I didn't kill anyone," he said. "Aren't you proud of me?"

"Yes," Selina nodded. "I can be proud of you for that. But you seem really hopped up. Have you had lots of coffee today?"

"No," Elija shook his head.

"It might be all that energy pent up from restraining that anger against Percy," Selina told him. "A werewolf thing."

"Great," Elijah sighed. "Wonderful. All the effort I've put into controlling those urges and I fail this time."

"Stop," Selina told him firmly. "It's okay when stuff like this happens. It's just a part of what you are. If you need to hunt to burn some energy, that's fine. We'll go."

"All right," Elijah nodded.

Since it wasn't a full moon, Elijah didn't turn, but he still managed to kill a few people in the isolated area while Selina watched. He ripped out hearts and sucked up his fill of blood, and all the while, Selina didn't look away. Then, when he'd had his fill, he looked around to tell her he was ready to go home and saw that the tree she'd been sitting against was empty. He walked around it and found himself face to face with a graceful wolf that had light brown fur all over her body, white sinewy legs, white fur on her belly, and striking blue eyes. Chuckling, he got down on his knees and hugged her around her neck while she put her head under his chin. "I know two werewolf forms well besides my own," he said. "Yours and my brother's, Selina." As he hugged her and then petted her while she lay on her belly across his lap, he felt his heart slow and his breathing steady. He was calm. The frazzled feeling he'd had before was gone. Eventually, the wolf got up and went behind the tree, then Selina appeared. "Better?" She asked and took his hand to lead him back to the car.

"Yes," Elijah nodded as he opened the car door for her and gave her a smile while he played with her hair. "Thank you very much."


	40. Ripping Off The Band-Aid

"So let me get this straight," Daisy told Clarissa at school. "You and Drew haven't actually had sex yet?"

"No," Clarissa shook her head. "I mean, he's seen me naked and we went skinny-dipping but he's too much of a gentleman to do anything before we get married."

"And how likely do you think that will be?" Daisy wanted to know as she took Finn's hand and they trailed along behind her sister. "Mom and Dad won't let you do it."

Clarissa scoffed. "Do you think that will stop me? You wouldn't let your engagement with Blake stop you from having sex with Finn. Get off my back, will you?"

"Fine," Daisy said and pulled Finn away. "I was just trying to help." They strode away from Clarissa and Daisy sighed as Finn took her in his arms. "What am I going to do with her? I mean, it would be hypocritical for me to say that she shouldn't pursue the man she loves, but I also don't want Mom and Dad to put her in an arranged marriage, either. And they will once they find out about Drew. I'm sure of it."

"I'm sure we can find out a way to get it all sorted out," Finn assured her. "It will distract me from what's going on at home."

"Oh, your dad is still evil?" Daisy asked.

"Yep," Finn nodded. "I took it better than Molly, though. It really hit her hard. She even went running to our birth father for comfort."

"But isn't your birth father trying to destroy your family?" Daisy asked. "What was Molly thinking?"

"That she didn't like Dad's new attitude, I guess," Finn shrugged. "That and he did it so that they could have a kid of their own."

"Does that bother you?" Daisy asked. "Cause you know that you're still their kid, even if it's not biologically."

"Yeah, I know that," Finn nodded and gave her a hug. "Thanks for the encouragement, though."

Then she froze as a voice rang out, "and just why do you think you can put your hands all over my woman?"

They pulled apart and Daisy groaned as Blake approached them, wearing a suit and a frown.

"Hello, Blake," Daisy spat. "What are you doing here?"

"Father thought it would help me grow as a person to be at school among the common folk," Blake told her and eyed his nails. "Want to introduce me to your friend?"

"No, I do not!" Daisy shook her head. "And who he is is none of your business!"

"It is since we're engaged and you let him put his paws all over you," Blake replied. "So who's your friend?"

"I'm Finn Parker," Finn told him, squeezing his hand hard enough that he winced in pain. "And I really don't like you."

When he finally let him go, Blake glared at Daisy. "When we get married, _he's_ not invited."

"When we get married," Daisy countered, "I might not even be there." She then gave Blake a swift kick in the butt as he strode away before turning to Finn and saying, "Is there any way I could enlist one of your family members to subtly murder him? I think that would be best for everyone."

"I think my grandfather would be more than happy to help with that," Finn assured her because he wanted Blake out of the way just as much. "Or my great-grandfather." He paused. "It might be a good thing for them to do together. Who knows?"

"So you'll ask them then?" Daisy pushed.

"Yes," Finn nodded and kissed Daisy's dark hair. "I will, I promise."

* * *

"I can't believe you made yourself evil just so we could have another kid," Victoria told Kai. "I don't know if it's stupid, or really, really admirable in a weird and twisted way."

"Oh, I know," Kai smirked. "Speaking of, don't you think we should get to work on that?"

"What? Getting me pregnant?" Victoria asked. "I don't know. I mean, we will eventually, but shouldn't we talk to the twins more first? I mean, your mom said that just the knowledge of you going evil sent Molly running to John."

"I wasn't worried about that," Kai shrugged. "I knew she'd come back. And if she had it in her head to betray us, I would have given her reasons to change her mind."

"And by 'reasons' you mean hurting her, not just having a normal and civilized conversation and assuring her she has nothing to worry about, right?" Victoria asked.

"Yeah," Kai nodded. "Exactly. I don't like it when my family betrays me, Vicky. I really don't." He narrowed his eyes at her. "I won't have to worry about _you_ , will I?"

"No," Victoria shook her head. "Malachai, what kind of a stupid question is that?"

"I just want to be sure," Kai replied.

"Well, you don't have to worry," Victoria replied and took his hand. "I'm with you all the way."

* * *

They then went to see Victoria's parents and tell them what was going on.

"You want to have another child?" Her father Declan asked. "Isn't that nice?"

"Are you sure that it's a good idea when you're so dark now?" Her mother Regina, who was a bit more thoughtful and pragmatic than her father was, asked. "Isn't there a chance that the child could be hurt?"

"Oh, come now, Regina," Declan told her. "Even at his worst, I don't think Kai would be that bad. Think about you and I. Victoria got through our parenting all right, didn't she?"

"Yes, I suppose you have a point," Regina replied and pushed some of her dark hair out of her eyes. "And my parents…I won't even talk about how I was raised. But I would feel more at ease in my mind if I came to visit every once in a while. Would that bother the two of you?"

"No, we'd love it," Victoria assured her. "We need to see more of each other and this is the perfect excuse."

"When are you due?" Regina asked.

"Oh, I'm not pregnant yet," Victoria told her mother quickly. "It's still in the planning stages as of now. But it's going to happen, that's for sure."

Just then, the phone rang. Regina went to answer it and handed it to Declan. "It's for you," she said. "It sounds like Finny!"

"Finny?" Victoria asked. "What is it that he wants?"

Declan put a hand up and shook his head, waiting to hear what Finn had to say before he answered. "Now are you sure you want me to kill this person?" He asked. "Have you tried every other way of dealing with this problem and this is the last resort?" He paused. "Oh, is that the case? Your girlfriend's fiancé that she doesn't like and is only engaged to because of an arranged marriage? Sure, I'll see what I can do." He ended the call and Regina looked at her husband nervously. "What are you doing? Don't get yourself into more trouble than you can handle."

"Oh, dear, Regina," he smiled as he took her chin in his hands. "I know I haven't done my chosen profession in a while, but it's like riding a bike. I know how to do it without getting in trouble. And it was for Finny. How could I say no?"

"I know I won't be able to stop you," Regina told him. "So I repeat: Please be careful." Then she turned back to Kai and Victoria. "Please tell me that you need me to help you with baby stuff. It'll keep my mind off of your father doing risky things, Victoria."

"All right," Victoria replied immediately. "Works for me. You want to come with us now?"

"Sure," Regina said and got up. "Let's go. I'm sure your father has plans to plan."

"I do," Declan grinned. "But I promise you won't have to hear about them."

* * *

"Sarah?" Matthew asked as his daughter lay in bed one morning cause she felt too ill and achy to get up. "Are you all right? Can I get you anything?"

"No, I'm not all right," Sarah shook her head. "If this is what being sick feels like, I'm glad it doesn't happen to me more often?"

"Wait a minute now," Matthew said. "There's only one reason you would be ill like this. Have you and Junior been having sex behind my back? I think you have! And now…now you're pregnant!"

"Oh, I am not!" Sarah told him. "Don't be over dramatic!"

Matthew just shook his head, got up, and strode off to find Christine, and when he did, she seemed to be just as blasé as her daughter about the situation.

"If she's pregnant, we'll deal with it. Panicking does nothing to help the situation," she said as she tried to calm her husband. "You watch her and I'll go and get the pregnancy tests."

"All right," Matthew nodded. "You better believe I will." He watched her go and was very glad that he hadn't been around when the same thing happened to Selina. Although at the same time, if he _had_ been, it would have been good preparation for this, that was for sure.

A while later, Sarah called to her parents. She was sitting on her bed with the pregnancy test in hand and looking down so she wouldn't have to see how disappointed Matthew was. "It's a yes," she got out quietly. "I'm pregnant."

"Well, oh, my god," Matthew told her. "Why would you do this? Is it my fault? Was I a bad parent? I know I have a terrible track record."

"No, it wasn't you," Sarah told him. "I'm the one who has to deal with this. Please don't make it about yourself." She sighed. "I should probably tell Junior since it's his kid and all. I hope he has a better reaction than you did." She asked her parents to leave so she could tell Junior in private and, as she had hoped, he took the news a lot better.

"I'm glad," he said. "Are you? How much does your father hate me?"

"A lot," Sarah replied. "I don't even think he likes _me_ that much. Can I…can I come over and see you?"

"Sure," Junior replied. "That would make me very happy, as a matter of fact. Come right over."

* * *

Wanting to spend some time away from Freya, who was still very mad at him, John decided to visit Junior and have a talk with him, but as he expected, was met with a very chilly reception.

"What do you want?" Junior asked, standing protectively in front of Sarah, who'd also come with him to answer the door. "If you've come to try and pull me into your problems, you can just go."

"Oh, I haven't," John assured him. "I came specifically to get _away_ from my troubles. I just thought we could talk since we don't know each other that well."

"There's a reason for that," Junior said with narrowed eyes. "I just really don't like you."

"I was thinking that I could do something to get to know all my children at once," John went on, ignoring Junior's comment. "Maybe we could have a party or a ball or something. Wouldn't that be fun?"

"Do we have the choice to say 'No'?" Junior asked.

"Not really," John told him. "But I don't know why you're being so difficult. It's not as if I'm asking you to murder someone, or something like that."

"Oh, I know, but we're busy with something else right now," Junior told him. "Something that makes a ball seem very trivial in comparison."

"Are you?" John asked, eyebrow raised. "And just what is it?"

Sensing that it would be the worst idea ever to tell John about the baby, Junior just shook his head. "None of your business is what it is. You can go now."

"Fine," John told him. "But I'm coming back."

"The hell you are!" Junior shouted back.

John disappeared and then Junior embraced Sarah and gave her a kiss. "Are you okay?" He asked. "Do you need to go lie down?"

"Yes," Sarah nodded. "I think I would like that very much."

So Junior picked her up and carried her to bed, then rubbed her belly and kissed her before turning off the light. "It's gonna be okay," he whispered as she shut her eyes. "No one will hurt you, I promise. And if they do, they're gonna pay for it."

"Good," Sarah mumbled, pulling the blankets up over her head. "I should hope so."


	41. Taking Hold Of The Future

"Tell me honestly," Matthew said to Christine. "Am I a bad parent?"

"Well, I would say you're an unnecessarily judgmental parent, but not a bad one," Christine told him. "Can't you give Sarah a break?"

Matthew just sighed and walked away while Christine followed him. "Where are you going?" She asked. "You can't just ignore this!"

They reached their bedroom and Matthew took a photo album out from under the bed, looking at all the pictures of him and baby Sarah. "She grew up so fast, didn't she?" He asked Christine. "When it happened, I wasn't ready."

"Oh, I know," Christine said and gave him a hug and a kiss. "But it happened and there's no point in dwelling on the past. I want you to talk to her. To tell Sarah what's making you upset. Cause I'm very sure she didn't just do this to make you miserable."

"Yes," Matthew agreed. "She wouldn't do that, would she?"

"No," Christine shook her head, taking her husband's hand. "Now let's go talk to her."

They found Sarah in her bedroom, packing.

"Where are you going?" Matthew asked. "I hope you're not leaving because of me."

"Well maybe that might be best," Sarah replied. "I know it makes you uncomfortable that I'm pregnant since Junior and I aren't married and stuff. I guess the condom didn't do its job like it's supposed to."

"I'm proud of you for making an effort anyway," Matthew told her. "But why is it that you think your best option is to leave? Your mother and I will help you. And your sister will too."

"Thank you," Sarah replied and hugged him. "I'll see what Junior thinks. With his crazy dad around, we might have to make more complicated plans than just staying with our parents."

"Whatever you decide, let us know, please?" Matthew requested.

"Of course I will," Sarah smiled at him. "I promise."

"Good," Matthew nodded. "Are you going off to tell him now?"

"Yeah," Sarah nodded. "I figure there's no point in keeping it a secret, and I don't think he'll be mad or anything. He deserves to know."

"Do you want one of us to come with you?" Matthew asked her.

"Thanks, but I think I can handle it on my own, Daddy," Sarah assured him.

He gave her a hug and said, "I'm sorry that I made you feel bad about this. It's just that you grew up so fast that I feel like I'm losing you, and after what happened with your sister, I was hoping I'd be able to really savor you growing up. But then that spell happened and you shot up like a weed…and here you are, a young lady who's expecting a baby." He sighed, just overwhelmed by it all.

Sarah smiled. "To tell you the truth, I'm still a bit weirded out by my quick growth myself," she admitted. "You're not the only one who thinks it's weird. But I'm glad this whole baby thing won't be an issue between us. Thank you for taking the time to talk to me about it."

"You're welcome," Matthew told her. "Go talk to Junior now. And when it's all over, let us know what he says. If it's anything other than that he's at the very least willing to accept responsibility, let me know and I'll deal with that for you."

"Matthew, don't you say that!" Christine chided, her dark eyes disapproving.

"It's just an option," Matthew told her. "She doesn't have to. I know she can handle herself."

"All right," Sarah said. "I'm going to tell Junior now. Don't worry, I'll be back after. It shouldn't take very long, I promise."

* * *

"So what do you want to do about this?" Junior asked Sarah who was resting in his bed. Mary and Liam had taken the news well enough with nothing but a warning about not letting John know because that would make Sarah a pawn. This was a great relief to both of them.

"What do you mean what do I want to do about it?" Sarah asked. "I'm keeping it, of course!"

"I knew that," Junior said. "But based on the fact that your dad isn't the biggest fan of the situation, do you want to stay here or go somewhere else where it's just the two of us and we raise the baby in peace?"

Sarah gave a sad chuckle. "Do you really think we could do that?" She asked.

"Yeah," Junior nodded and kissed her. "I do, but it's all up to you."

"I talked to my parents and they said they would be happy to help us with the child too," Sarah assured him. "But do you think that would be too predictable in case your father the Phoenix gets it in his head to mess with us?"

"Yeah, I thought about that," Junior nodded. "Would it upset your dad if we went into hiding? We could talk to my dad and I bet he would set something up."

"Your parents took it surprisingly well," Sarah said as they left his room. "I'm gonna have to thank them for that."

They went downstairs to see Liam and Mary and made their request.

"Sure," Liam nodded. "I suppose that with all the other precautions that the Council is taking regarding this Phoenix business, it wouldn't hurt to put a guard on you. And maybe get you in another house that's hidden better."

"Wonderful," Junior nodded. "When you get that all set up, then we'll move out."

"All right," Liam nodded. "But until then, stay with us. If that's all right with Sarah's parents, that is."

"Yeah," Sarah nodded. "As long as I let them know I'm okay from time to time, if I explain everything to them, I'm sure they'll understand."

* * *

"So how much do I owe you?" Mary asked Liam before bed that night. "Did we decide that it would be ten dollars if Sean and Sarah were expecting before the end of the year?"

"Yep," Liam nodded. "Pay up."

Mary handed him the money and as he stuck it in his wallet, she said, "I'm not worried about them, though. I think they can handle it. At the very least, they're not evading their responsibility." He then gave Mary a kiss and after they got into bed, he pulled the covers over both of them and turned the lights out.

He fell asleep quickly, but Mary was full of troubling dreams. Dreams where John came to her, a wicked smile on his face, and said, "Tell me Mary: where did the boy go? I know about the child. There's no use lying to me. Tell me where the child is and no one will be hurt."

"No!" She was screaming as Liam shook her awake. "No, I won't! Leave me alone!"

"Mary!" Liam cried as he turned on the light, his blonde hair sticking up at odd angles as he got back into bed and stopped Mary from hitting him with a pillow and took her in his arms. "What's the matter?"

"I had a dream about the Phoenix," she said. "He…he's gonna hurt Sarah and Junior's baby."

"Well, we put a guard on them just in time, didn't we?" Junior asked as he kissed Mary's head of curly red hair and rubbed her back to try and get her to sleep. "They'll be fine. I promise."

* * *

"You're _pregnant?_ " Finn cried when Sarah and Junior told him. "When did this happen? How long have you known?"

"Not long," Sarah said. "My dad's not too happy about it, even though we talked it through and he's not as mad at me as he was in the beginning."

"Well, I think it's nice," Finn told her. "Congratulations."

"Yeah," Daisy smiled shyly. "Congratulations." She still didn't entirely feel like part of Finn's group yet, even though they'd been together for a little while so she couldn't muster the same level of enthusiasm as Finn had.

"And if there's anything we can do, don't hesitate to tell us," Finn added.

"That's very sweet," Sarah said and hugged her friend. "Thank you very much."

"You're welcome," Finn said and then took the hand that Junior wasn't holding so that he, Sarah, Junior, and Daisy were all connected as they walked to their next class.

* * *

Finn brought Daisy home after school and they were both surprised to see a strange car in Kai and Victoria's driveway. "Who's that?" Daisy asked.

"Beats me," Finn replied. "Let's go see."

They went inside and found a man with piercing blue eyes and dark hair arguing with Kai.

"What the heck is going on?" Finn asked after breaking up the argument and then looking at the other man. "Who are you?"

"Finny, this is Mr. Bl-I mean, James O'Connell," Victoria told him. "He works for Astrid."

"You're with the government?" Finn asked. "What do you want with my father?"

"Well, we just received word that your father has made a deal that has caused him to become unpredictable and a possible danger to magic-kind…again," James replied and straightened his black leather jacket. "So I've come to take him in!"

"And you can't do that!" Kai argued. "I haven't done anything bad yet."

"There's why I worry," James said and got a pair of handcuffs out of his belt and throwing Kai down on the floor. "That little word 'yet'."

"You know, this is a lot more fun when Vicky does it," Kai replied. "And Vicky, why aren't you helping me? Tell him to get off me, would you?"

"Is this really necessary?" Victoria asked. "I know he's been problematic in the past, but I don't think this sort of behavior is warranted."

"Did he make a deal with the Phoenix to destroy you and your family (and who knows who else) just so you could have children?" James asked.

"Well, yes, he did," Victoria sighed.

"I rest my case," James told her and pulled Kai to his feet. "You know, I really thought you would be more bothered by what he did."

"Well, you of all people should know that I'm used to behavior like this," Victoria told him. "Why do you think I lasted watching him so long when he was in jail before? If you need me to come and motivate him to stay in his cell, just let me know."

James hauled him off then and Finn asked his mother, "You really aren't gonna let them keep Dad in jail, are you?"

"Of course not," Victoria shook her head. "But it'll be easier to get in if I let them think I'm respecting the arrest warrant for a little while." Then she looked apologetically at Daisy. "Sorry you had to see that. Things aren't usually so exciting around here."

"That's fine," Daisy smiled. "I love excitement like that. We haven't had any since we found out that one of the servants was running off with the silver and Daddy had him arrested in the middle of the night. That was fun. Didn't sleep a wink after."

"Well, not that I can top seeing someone getting arrested, but what would you like to do as a way to procrastinate before we finally do our homework?" Finn asked her.

"Oh, I don't know," Daisy smiled and took him to a room where Victoria couldn't see before giving him a kiss. "But I'm sure we can think of something."

* * *

"What's so funny?" Freya asked irritably as she came to John to get a dose of the potion that would help quell the feeling she had that her pregnancy was eating her alive from the inside. She was still uncomfortable, but it wasn't the hell on earth that it had been. "Whose life are you thinking of ruining now?"

"I wouldn't say I'm ruining it!" John told her. "I'm being helpful. Sean will thank me when all this is over." He gave her the potion and then after she took it, she said, "I'm gonna go out now. I need to get some air."

He put a spell on her and said, "All right, have a good time."

"What was that for?" Freya asked. "What did you do to me now?"

"Just a little something to make sure you come back," John replied.

Shaking her head in disgust, Freya left the house and zapped herself to a cluster of shops a few miles away. As she was walking out of a book store, she bumped into Jill and knocked her to the ground. As Freya reached down to help her up, the moment their hands connected, the images of her dream came back to her, the one of the evil boy.

"Are you all right?" Freya asked. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"No," Jill shook her head, her eyes pausing on the small bump just visible under Freya's dress. "I'm fine, thank you. I have to be going now. Goodbye."


	42. Not Quite An Angel

"What's the matter with you?" Helene asked Jill when she got home. "Are you okay? You look exhausted."

"Oh, it's nothing," Jill replied as Helene came to help her to the sofa. "I was walking by a bookstore and when I bumped into this blonde, she made me have the visions again. You know, the freaky ones that I only get at night that make me have to sleep in Percy's room?"

"Yes," Helene nodded. "Oh, I'm so sorry! Let me get you some tea! Or would you rather just go to your room and be left alone?"

"Actually, is William here?" Jill asked. "He always has those really soothing ocean noises going on in his room. That might help me calm down. Maybe I can have him sketch the woman so we can see who she is."

"That's a thought," Helene replied. "I'm sure he's here, but you can go see."

So Jill headed up to William's room and knocked on the door. Since the ocean noises were going on, she thought he was there, but wanted to knock anyway. "William?" She called. "May I come in?"

The ocean noises stopped for a moment and she heard, "Sure!" before the door opened and her half-brother invited her inside. "Come on in. What can I do for you?"

"Oh, I just had a really intense vision and it wore me out," she said and sat down on his bed. "Would you mind if I listened to ocean noises with you for a bit?"

"Sure," William nodded and turned them on again. "Go ahead."

"Also, I need you to draw someone for me," she requested. "Would you do that?"

"Sure," William nodded and took up some paper and a pencil. "Go on."

"She's blonde," Jill replied. "Blue eyes, middling height. Has a little mole on the right side of her face. And she's pregnant. She had a small bump under her dress when I bumped into her. And she's white."

William quickly made a very rough sketch of the person Jill described and handed it to her. "Who is she?" He asked. "It can't be the person in your nightmares. That's a guy."

"Yes, but something about this woman made the visions come to me again," Jill explained. "Do you think this woman is cursed or something? Maybe I should warn her! Or do you think I should wait for more information first?"

"I think you should get more information," William replied. "But how will you do that? You don't even know who this woman is or where she lives or anything!"

"True, but I think I have a way around that," Jill told him. "It goes against everything my mother ever taught me, but this is an emergency, and I'll need your help."

"All right," William nodded. "What do you need me to do?"

* * *

"Look, John!" Freya cried as she brought in the mail and one of the things in it was a flyer advertising a carnival. "There's a carnival down the street! There's a fortuneteller there and a man who can set himself on fire! Won't that be interesting to see? We should go!"

"But why?" John huffed. "All that stuff is so commonplace. Only humans are fascinated by parlor tricks like those."

"I don't care!" Freya stomped her foot, causing the chandelier over John's head to swing dangerously. "I deserve to have some fun after all the shit you're putting me through and I wanna go to the carnival! Along with that, since you're so concerned about the well-being of your spawn, you're coming too!"

"Well, if you put it that way," John huffed. "I guess I don't really have a choice, do I? When would you like to go?"

"No sense in waiting when we can go now," Freya shrugged. "And I'm sure you want to get the whole experience over with as soon as possible, don't you?"

"You have a point," John agreed. "Let's go."

They headed to the carnival and John got Freya some cotton candy. As they walked past the fortune teller tent, Jill, dressed in a gauzy light purple robe with silver stars all over it, stepped out and gestured at her. "You, Miss," she called. "How about you have your fortune read?"

"Oh, yes, I would love to!" Freya cried and broke away from John, running toward the tent. When she'd stepped inside and was comfortably seated at the table, she got a good look at Jill and her eyes widened. "You're the girl I ran into at the bookstore! I hope I didn't hurt you! Fancy seeing you here!"

"Yes, isn't it?" Jill smiled. "And it's lucky too, because when you helped me up after that, I had the most terrible vision and I think it concerns you."

"Go on," Freya told her, letting Jill take her hand again. "Although based on what I've already experienced, I don't think anything you tell me will surprise me."

"Oh, I don't know about that," Jill replied. She took Freya's hand and again her dream came flooding into her mind. Then she was brought back to reality.

"Are you all right?" Freya asked, eying her with worry. "Maybe we should stop."

"No, thanks, I'm fine," Jill shook her head determinedly. "I need to keep going. I see a very evil boy. He's going to make everything dark and fire everywhere. He's the devil!"

"Oh, dear god," Freya sighed. "That just figures, doesn't it? I have a kid, he's the devil. But with John as a father, who would expect anything less?"

"You don't seem very surprised by this," Jill remarked as Freya pulled her hand away. "Shouldn't you be?"

"I should," Freya nodded. "A normal person would, anyway. But I'm not a normal person. Would you be able to tell anything else by any chance? I mean, I understand if it's too much for you, but I'd really like to know as much information as I can."

"Sure," Jill nodded. "I've actually had a dream about your son for a long time now and I always wake up before what I assume is something really juicy." She took Freya's hand again and made it through the dream scene, then steeled herself as it continued, and she saw the part she always missed.

 _The boy was laughing, that broken glass sound getting louder and louder. But then he stopped and let out a cry as a big wave of light came and hit him in the face, sending him flying backwards and his dogs whimpering and running for cover. He managed to get to his feet and shoot dark magic in the direction of the light, which held him off for a little while, but was eventually extinguished, leaving a still, pale figure on the ground, a young woman who looked a lot like Jill herself. He got down on his knees, kissed her lips, and placed a black rose on her chest before smirking and striding away, his dogs on either side of him, into the black night._

"What else did you see?" Freya asked. "More bad stuff?"

"Bad and good," Jill nodded. "Good for the world and bad for me. If the guy in the vision is your child, then I'm gonna be the one who defeats him. It might not end well for me, but I'll do the best I can."

"I wish you the best of luck," Freya replied and stood up. "You have your work cut out for you." She thanked Jill and then left the tent to join John before he came to retrieve her.

"So," he said. "Did the fortune teller tell you anything interesting?"

"Other than the fact that our future son will be the devil who will try and destroy everything and that she may or may not die stopping him?" Freya asked and began walking. "No, nothing interesting really."

"Well, good," John smiled and steered her toward the stage where William was exhibiting his pyrotechnical skill. "Let's go visit the fire boy now. He's quite thrilling to watch. I think you'll enjoy yourself immensely."

* * *

"Did you get him?" James' wife Lenora asked as he dragged a very resistant Kai into his cell. "Good, you did. I thought it would take much longer."

"No, it doesn't, love," James shook his head and pushed Kai onto the bench along the cell wall next to the door. "Not with me. I have experience. _Especially_ with this one."

"You know you aren't gonna be able to keep me here, but I suppose that just for the fun of it, I'll play along," Kai told him with a smirk. "Do I get conjugal visits or what? I'm married now, you know."

"Yes, and I don't know _what_ Victoria was thinking when she did that," James told him wryly. "You'll get supervised visits on visiting day just like everyone else, but nothing more than that. I hope this teaches you a lesson about making deals with sketchy people."

"Oh, it won't teach me anything," Kai told him, delighted to see that he could use magic in this cell and zapped up a cigarette. "But it'll be fun to see how long you can keep me here before I break out."

When James and Lenora just stood there and stared, he said, "I thought I was supposed to be in confinement now. Shouldn't you two be leaving me alone to think about my sins?"

"All right," James said and took Lenora's hand. "It's not like I want to spend more time around you than I can help." They headed to his office where Felicity was just getting off the phone.

"Who was that?" James asked. "Anyone important?"

"Victoria," Felicity replied.

"Oh, damn!" James swore. "Don't tell me she's upset about Kai getting arrested. Surely she understands why we have to do it!"

"No, she understands the general idea," Felicity assured him. "She's even glad for it because it will not only save him from himself but keep those he might have harmed safe. But she wonders how you plan to make it stick. If he can get out of the deepest, darkest, most tough to escape jail cell you have, just a normal one won't cut it."

"Well, what other ideas could she possibly have?" James asked irritably. "If she doesn't have any, she really shouldn't criticize. And I'm not sending Kai back to her house," he continued. "So if that's her only other idea, it won't happen."

"She thought that maybe he could stay with you and Lenora until his sentence is up," Felicity told him. "Do you think that's a good idea?"

"No, I don't!" James shook his head. "Has the woman lost her mind? Why would she even suggest something like that?"

"Then we can keep a closer eye on him," Lenora replied. "It makes perfect sense. We should do it!"

"And how long have you left him in that jail cell?" Felicity questioned. "Cause you might want to go and check on him now. I would, if I were you."

"Yes," James nodded and then quickly instructed his daughter Susanna who was just coming in to talk to him about some villain she just caught to leave a summary of who it was and what they'd done on his desk while he ran to catch Kai.

"I can do it," Susanna told him. "Let me. He doesn't know me like he knows you."

"Good point, Monster," James told her. "Thank you. Have at it." He wrote the cell number down and Susanna made a run for it, but found Kai just sitting in the cell smoking away.

"Look at you, you're still here," she said in amazement. "I thought you would have run by now."

"I'm sorry if it disappoints you that I didn't," he told the brunette with the blue eyes. "But for some reason, taunting James doesn't have the same thrill that it used to." He paused. "And who are you again? I don't think we've met."

"I'm Susanna, James' daughter," Susanna replied. "You might have heard him refer to me as 'Monster'."

Kai's jaw dropped a little. " _You're_ Monster? Well, that's unexpected. So…what sort of things does your father have in store for me? What horrible punishments? It's only sporting to tell me ahead of time."

"Well, Victoria asked if you could come and live with Mom and Dad for a bit, so it'll be more of a punishment for my father than it would be for you, I'm sure. But Victoria just wants to keep you safe," Susanna told him.

"That and it'll be more difficult for us to see each other if I'm in jail," Kai added. "I made this deal so that Vicky and I could have another child, and she wouldn't let that go. And she probably wouldn't want that child to be conceived in prison."

"No," Susanna shook her head. "I would think not. My brother was, though. After Astrid had Daddy locked up for tricking Mom into making a deal with him in the first place. Then she sneaked into his cell to rescue him and there you go."

"Your parents seem very dedicated to each other," Kai remarked. "Especially with your father doing the sort of work he does."

"Oh, they are," Susanna nodded. "And Victoria really seems to like you."

"Yeah," Kai nodded. "She's one of the few people that does. I'm not an easy man to love."

"Well, if you ever need to talk to someone about that when Victoria's not around, my dad will be easily accessible," Susanna smiled. "Do you need to pack things before we go?"

"No," Kai shook his head. "I'll be fine. Let's go and get this over with."

* * *

"So Mary, tell me again what you saw," Astrid urged elsewhere in the Council building. "Please. Was it a vision? Do you have those? Everyone is born with them but they usually fade away at some point if they're not developed and you're past the age where they go."

"Well, I don't think it could be considered a vision," Mary shook her head as Sarah and Junior each took one of her hands, and Liam, who was standing behind her chair, put his hands on her shoulders. "It was just a really bad nightmare where the Phoenix said he knew about Sarah's baby. Do you think it's something we need to worry about yet?"

"I wouldn't say so if you don't have a history premonitions," Astrid replied. "But…can I ask if there's any reason the Phoenix would want to get in your mind, maybe? Could he be trying to get in your head and scare you?"

"Well," Mary swallowed. "As part of a deal I made with Edele to find out how to end my own curse, I agreed to carry one of the Phoenix's children. Biologically, Sean here is the Phoenix's, not Liam's."

Astrid sat back and sucked in a breath. "Well, that's good to know," she said. "I don't think you need to move anywhere secret or truly worry yet, but be on your guard, always."

"We wouldn't do anything else," Liam assured his grandmother. "And if something happens, you know someone will get their ass kicked."

Astrid had to chuckle at that. "With Adrian and Klaus as your father and grandfather, I wouldn't expect anything less from you," she replied. "Thank you for letting me know, and if you have any more dreams or the Phoenix shows up and tries to attack any of you, don't hesitate to let me know."

"Oh, that won't be a problem," Mary assured her. "I'll come running in here as fast as I can and you will definitely know I'm here."

They then headed back to their house and Junior and Sarah retreated to his bedroom.

"Are you tired?" He asked as she yawned and laid her head on his shoulder after he closed the door. "Let's let you get some rest, okay?"

"Yeah, okay," Sarah nodded. He slipped off her shoes and tucked her in and then she said, with one eye open, "Can I have a backrub before I sleep?"

"All right," Junior nodded and helped her out of her shirt before slowly massaging her back and then her front. He was prepared for her to fall asleep when she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him instead. "Oh, no," he told her. "What are you doing?"

"Kissing you," Sarah replied. "I was tired but then you were touching me and I got all tingly."

"You asked me for the massage knowing that would happen, didn't you?" He asked her. "Didn't you, young lady?"

"Maybe," Sarah smiled and bit her bottom lip. "So what are you waiting for?"

"I don't know if we should do this now," Junior replied.

"Oh, why not?" Sarah asked. "Why are you hesitating now? The good time to hesitate would have been _before_ I got pregnant."

"All right," Junior sighed and helped her out of her clothes. "That should at least get you tired enough to sleep."

"Yes it will, if the past is any indication," Sarah agreed and kissed him as he ran his hands over her body and rubbed her vigorously before burying himself deeply inside her.


	43. A Dark Future

"I can't believe Kai got hauled off to jail," Adrian shook his head. "That's just…that blows my mind. I thought he was done with all that."

"Technically, he's not in jail," Molly corrected. "He's staying at James O'Connell's house because as we all know, he wouldn't stay in prison two seconds and so the whole point of locking him up is defeated."

"You think I should go visit him?" Adrian asked her. "Or see if he can be brought here for a bit?"

"Sure, if you want to," Molly shrugged. "It's not my place to tell you how to run your life."

"Hey, you've been in a bit of a down mood lately," Adrian commented. "Is something wrong? Are you still upset about your dad?"

"No, I'm past that now," Molly assured him. "It's just…well let me make this clear that I still love you more than anything, but…Finny says that Junior and Sarah are expecting a kid. Nothing really shakes up a sense of reality like that, does it?"

Adrian moved closer to her. "You're not thinking of having a kid yourself now, are you?"

"No, don't worry about that," Molly shook her head as a barely imperceptible shudder ran through her. "I'm not gonna be in the mood for that for a while." She held out her arms and Rusty ran into them. "This little guy is enough for now."

"You know I've thought that too," Adrian nodded and scratched the dog behind the ears. "For now, anyway, I mean." He paused. "You think they'd let us go visit Kai?"

"I don't know," Molly shrugged. "Maybe I should ask Mom to go over there on some sort of reconnaissance mission to see just who's allowed to visit and who isn't, and based on what she says, then we'll go see him. Or not."

"All right," Adrian nodded. "And on an entirely different note, I'm very glad you didn't go over to the dark side and start plotting against everyone with John. That would have made me very sad."

"But you still wouldn't have hesitated to turn against me, right?" Molly asked.

"Of course," Adrian nodded and pulled her close to him. "That's one of the reasons why I would be sad. You're one of the few people I've ever truly connected with in my life and I'd hate to have to throw the whole relationship away."

"Well, luckily you don't have to," Molly assured him. "I just did that cause I was upset about my parents wanting to have another kid, you know? You probably don't have any idea about how much that can hurt!"

"Well, I can't personally," Adrian admitted. "I was already thirteen when Mom and Dad had Roxie, and she was nearly sixteen when they had Lucy, so we were all very established in the family before our parents told us we were gonna have company." He paused. "Actually, that's wrong. Roxie had a fit when she found out about Lucy." He chuckled. "She never really did like sharing Dad's attention. And then she met Vince and we found out that Dad felt the same way with her." He sighed. "Anyway. So, no matter what happens, are you with me?"

"Of course," Molly nodded firmly. "My friends might pull away and have kids with other people and my brother might be involved in a crazy life of his own, but I know I'll always have you."

"Good," Adrian replied and hugged her. "That's what I hoped you would say."

It was at that moment that Rusty shot out of Molly's arms and began scratching and whining at the front door.

"Seems like he needs to go out," Adrian remarked as he gazed at the tiny Westie. "That's good timing. Have you gone hunting yet today, Molly?"

"Nope," Molly shook her head and grabbed her purse before kissing him. "Let's do it."

* * *

"You have a visitor," Lenora told Kai, who paused a moment from setting up the bucket of water over James' office door to turn and smile at her. "Thanks," he said. "Who is it?"

"Your wife," Lenora replied and tousled her short blonde hair. "She brought you some new sheets and stuff. But if you're busy, I can tell her to wait."

"Oh, no," Kai shook his head. "I'm just about done anyway." He got the bucket to balance and Lenora asked, "Why are you doing that?"

"I have to find ways to amuse myself," Kai told her as they headed to meet Victoria. "And as you will soon learn, your husband is one of my favorite targets."

"Well, that's a fun change," Lenora remarked, her brown eyes twinkling. "Most people are afraid of him."

"Not me," Kai shook his head. "Spent way too much actual time around the guy to be anything but annoyed." He then saw Victoria and ran over to her. "I'm so glad you came!" He cried. "Are you breaking me out?"

"No," Victoria told him firmly. "Being in protection like this is probably the best place for you. You'll be allowed out sometimes, though. I have no doubt about that."

"And you know that even if I'm not allowed, I'll just make a run for it," Kai smiled. "Thanks for coming to see me. When you were so relieved about this, I thought you would just leave me here to rot."

"Oh, no, no!" Victoria shook her head, putting her hands on either side of his face and kissing him. "I just don't want you to end up doing something now that you might regret later when you're back to normal again. Well, more than what the deal will supposedly have you do in the first place."

"Supposedly?" Kai repeated, raising eyebrow. "You seem awfully confident in my ability to keep out of trouble. You have way too much faith in me."

"Well, I have faith in the fact that you're not a total moron," Victoria said. "Would you really throw your family away just because that's what the deal says? I thought you were sneakier than that. Am I wrong?"

"No, you're not, but I can't have anyone know that, now can I?" Kai asked. "At least not this early in the game." He grinned. "Now, what do you say we go make my bed and then…break it in? James isn't here and I'm sure he has some handcuffs I can steal."

"We'll do that at some point, I swear," Victoria promised. "But I really just came to drop this stuff off and find out about the policy on visitors for you, cause Molly and Adrian want to visit. Then I have to go see my parents because Daddy and Grandpa are plotting about how to kill the fiancé of Finn's girlfriend Daisy."

"Are you going to stop them, or help?" Kai asked curiously as they reached the bedroom and began putting the sheets on the mattress. They could have done it with magic, but they figured they'd have more time together doing it by hand.

When everything was tucked in and pulled up, Victoria handed him some of the treats she'd brought along with his sheets and then checked the clock on her phone. "I've gotta go now," she told him. "I was supposed to be at my parents' five minutes ago. I'll be back soon, I promise. And I bet you'll see Adrian and Molly any day now."

"Well, damn," Kai shook his head. "At least I get to see you walking away. And you're wearing the snug fitting jeans. I appreciate that."

"Yeah," Victoria smiled. "I thought you would."

"Just one more question," Kai told her seriously. "Is your father mad about this whole arrest thing?"

"Don't worry about that," Victoria assured him, turning to walk toward the bedroom door and giving a little wiggle. "He's fine. He knows why you did it."

"Damn," Kai sighed in an exaggerated way. "I was hoping I'd get a rise out of him."

"Yeah," Victoria said as she paused by the door. "I know you did."

* * *

"So how did your plan to find the woman who made your visions come go?" Helene asked Jill. "Did it work? Did she come to the carnival?"

"She did!" Jill nodded. "It was still a lucky break though."

"I bet it was," Malachai nodded. "How did you manage to get a hold of her address to even know where to put the carnival in the first place? Or find out her name?"

"If I tried to explain psychic stuff to you, it would just make your head hurt," Jill told him. "But I knew."

"Anything else you would care to share with us?" Helene asked. "Anything about the Phoenix? My mom says that the Council is on alert because Mary came in to tell her about some trouble she was having."

"Oh, no," Malachai shook his head. "My sister again? Poor Mary!"

"No, the Phoenix this time," Jill shook her head. "And just so you know, I would get myself measured for a tux if I were you."

"Why?" Malachai asked, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. "What's going on?"

"I see a ball," Jill told him. "Lots of people dancing, including me. And all the other kids of yours that haven't come yet. There _are_ others, aren't there?"

"Yes!" Malachai nodded vigorously and took her hand. "How do they all look? Are they all right?"

"Wait a minute!" Helene cried. "How many more kids did you make, Malachai?"

"Four, I think," Malachai said thoughtfully. "I can't wait to meet them all."

"Me too," Helene said, looking a bit overwhelmed. "I know I always said I wanted a lot of kids, but I didn't know it would be so many."

"Well, think about who we're going up against," Malachai reminded her. "We'll need lots of power on our side."

"You have a good point," Helene nodded. Then she gave a little hop. "A ball, how exciting! Of course with my luck it'll probably be more like my senior prom was than anything else, but we have to try and stay positive, don't we? The fact that I don't have to nag you to get dressed up is a good start."

"And just how bad was your senior prom?" Malachai asked.

"Well," Helene sighed. "I died at the end of it."

"Yep, that's pretty bad all right," Malachai agreed. "Here's hoping this little party will be better than that."


	44. How To Live Happily Ever After

"I need you to talk to Mom," Junior told his uncle as he brought him into the house. "She had a dream about the Phoenix coming to mess with our baby and ever since, she's been hovering. Won't give us a moment's peace."

"I'll see what I can do," Sean promised. "I'll talk to her. Where is she?"

"Let me show you," Junior replied. He brought his uncle to his and Sarah's bedroom where Mary was fluffing up Sarah's pillow and ordering Liam to install what looked to be some sort of alarm.

"Mary, what are you doing?" Sean asked her, eyebrow raised.

"I'm just taking precautions," Mary replied. "Either we do all this or we send Junior and Sarah out and they go on the run like I did. And since she's pregnant, I don't want to do that."

"It's sweet you care," Sean told his sister and hugged her. "But don't you think you're going a little overboard?"

"No," Mary told him firmly. "I'm not."

So Sean looked at Junior over Mary's shoulder and said to his nephew, "You know, why don't you and Sarah come over to my house? You'll have peace there."

"Sean, don't do that!" Mary cried. "Whose side are you on, anyway?"

"His," her half-brother told her firmly. "You are my sister and I love you, but Junior's a big boy now and he's gonna have a child of his own soon. You need to let him have a chance to show that."

"Well, fine," Mary told Sean. "He can go to your house and stay, but I'm still calling every once in a while to make sure no is dead."

"Good for you, Mom," Junior told her and gave her a hug. "I know this is hard, so thanks a lot."

They made their way to the car and as Sean turned to follow, Mary grabbed his arm. "Joke's on you," she said, a mischievous twinkle in her eye. "They're probably just gonna lock themselves away and have sex once they get there. You better hope they put a spell on the door so you won't have to hear it."

Hearing this, Sean pushed his shoulder length brown hair back out of his eyes and then puffed out his cheeks, blowing the air out before zapping himself home.

"Hey, there, baby!" Eva greeted him as he came through the front door and she grabbed him and gave him a kiss. "I wondered where you were when Junior and Sarah showed up by themselves. So, Mary's okay with this, then?"

"No, not really," Sean replied. "But I felt that I had to overrule her for Junior's sake. Are the two of them all settled in?"

"Yes," Eva nodded and laid her head on Sean's chest. "And from the way they were looking at each other, we probably won't see them for a while. I hope they're using protection or Junior'll get her pregnant."

"He did already, Princess," Sean replied and kissed her hair. "That's why Mary's even more anal about this Phoenix mess than she normally would be."

"Oh," Eva said and kissed him while running her fingers through his hair. "Never mind then."

* * *

"It was so good that you were able to make it to a bathroom before you got sick," Junior told Sarah as he stood behind her and held her hair back.

"Oh, you're telling me," Sarah nodded. "It was so sweet of you to come in here with me. I know it's gross to watch."

"Don't worry about that," Junior told her. "I'm not looking."

When she told him that she thought she was done, she washed her mouth out and then groaned.

"What?" Junior asked. "Should we be preparing for round two?"

"No, I just…tingles again!" Sarah cried and hopped irritably. "And you probably don't want to make out with a woman you just saw threw up, right? I bet that's really attractive. And sex is probably definitely out of the question." She sighed.

"No, now did I say that?" Junior asked and kissed her hand. "Rinse your mouth out, brush your teeth, and then we can go shower, okay?"

"Okay," Sarah smiled and then did just that before letting him lead her to the nearest shower. "I think I would like that."

He turned the water on and then undressed her before undressing himself and helping her into the shower. Because of her condition, he insisted that she sit down on a little ledge that was big enough to double as a seat while he washed her hair with stuff he'd zapped up and kneeled under the shower spray to thoroughly wash her body with a soaped up loofah.

"How's that doing for the tingles?" He asked as he washed between her thighs. "Is it making them better or worse?"

"A little better, a little worse," Sarah said and then pulled him to her to kiss him. Then he braced her against the shower wall and she clung to him as tightly as she could after parting her legs and letting him slip inside her.

* * *

"So…you got any ideas about how to capture the Phoenix?" Kai asked James, who made the foolish mistake of coming home for lunch.

"No, I don't do that," James told him patiently. "I'm just the lackey who takes care of smaller matters, like you, so that Astrid can focus on the bigger picture, like him." He took a bite of his ham sandwich. "Now, would you mind going somewhere else? I'm trying to eat." He called Susanna to come and take Kai away from the table, and, just to rile James up, said, "All right, I'll go with your pretty daughter."

"What do you have in your brain now?" She asked him.

"I have a plan to help take the Phoenix down," Kai replied. "As well as get back at him for this deal he made with me."

"But if you chose that, what do need to get back at him for?" Susanna asked.

"Okay, maybe I don't have any need to really avenge myself, but I just want to cause trouble for anyone I can," Kai told her. "You get me?"

"Yeah," Susanna nodded. "I do. So what's your plan?"

"I'm gonna try and seduce the Phoenix's girlfriend," Kai told her.

"What?" Susanna asked and burst into laughter. "You can't be serious! What's Victoria gonna think?"

"When I tell her the plan, she'll understand," Kai replied. "We have to bring the Phoenix down somehow and that could be it!"

His uncle had much the same reaction to his idea as Susanna did. "That's ridiculous! What would Victoria think? But then again you _are_ wicked now, so I don't know why I'm surprised."

"Now all we need to do is find a way for me to be in the same place as her," Kai told him. "You got any ideas?"

"Jill said something about the Phoenix wanting to hold a ball," Malachai told him. "Maybe you could go to that. But I still don't see this working."

* * *

"So…" Victoria said as she came into Kai's bedroom the next day and dropped her coat on the floor to reveal that she was wearing lacy black lingerie. "Lenora said you wanted to see me and that it was urgent." She pushed him against the wall and kissed him. "What was it that you wanted? You can pretty much tell what I assumed. Am I wrong?"

"No," Kai shook his head and grinned while he watched her. "Actually, you're right on the mark." He picked her up and brought her to the bed where he quickly undressed her and then himself before running his hands all over her body.

"I've missed you," he said.

"I've missed you too, but what we get out of this whole mess is going to be worth it," Victoria told him as she wrapped her legs around his waist and felt him slide inside her. "Now, is this sex that will lead to the conception of our child?"

"That depends," Kai replied. "Are you on your pills or not?"

"No, so we'll see," Victoria said and kissed him, gasping and moaning as he pushed in and pulled out of her several times.

When she was exhausted, that was when he told her about his plan to seduce Freya as a way to get out of the Phoenix mess.

"That's your plan to save everyone?" Victoria asked in amazement, seeming much more awake. "Really?"

"Yeah," Kai nodded. "But you know it won't really mean anything right?"

"Yeah," Victoria sighed. "And I know you're a jackass now. But still." He let out a grunt as she stabbed him and then quickly cut herself to give him blood to heal. "Just something to think about while you ready for the big night."

* * *

"So how exactly do you want to do this?" Declan asked Daisy as he and Kol plotted with her and Finn to cause trouble in the life of Blake Martell. "Slow and painful? Please say that. That's what I'm good at."

"Well, I don't know," Daisy replied. She was a bit taken aback by how bloodthirsty Finn's relatives were. "I actually just want to make him go away, but if you really want to stick it someone, I give you permission to give my parents a visit." She handed Declan a picture. "They were the ones who set up this whole mess in the first place."

"Ah, let me see that!" Kol cried and snatched the picture away from him. "Oh, this will be fun. They look like exactly the type of people who could use a kick in the ass."

Daisy left them to do what they will and went to join Finn in another room.

"I hope my grandfathers haven't scared you away," he said as she took a seat on his lap and kissed him.

"Well they're a bit intimidating," Daisy admitted as he nibbled on her neck. "But for what they're doing for me, I'll get used to it."

"I assume the reason why you two are here has something to do with what you're doing to Blake?" Daisy asked when she saw that Kol and Declan were in the car with Finn when he came to pick her up the next day.

"Exactly," Declan grinned. "But don't worry, it won't be anything too violent. We don't want to make too much of a scene."

"All right," Daisy told them, nervousness roiling around in her stomach. "You guys do whatever you want. Just…you don't have to tell me about it, all right?"

"Right," Declan nodded. "Sorry."

They got to school and then Declan and Kol told Finn and Daisy goodbye and went on their way.

"You don't really think your uncles will kill him, will they?" Daisy asked. "I mean, I don't particularly like Blake and I think he's an idiot, but he shouldn't be killed for it."

"I don't know," Finn shrugged. "Knowing them as I do… anything is possible."

Daisy became even more anxious when she went to math and Blake didn't meet her at the door and insist that she sit with him like he normally did. The same happened in history.

Then, when she and Finn got home, her parents came running out.

"Oh, my god!" She cried and threw herself into Finn's arms as soon as he parked the car. "Something _has_ happened!"

"I'm gonna go because your parents probably don't want to see me," Finn told her. "But it'll be all right. I promise."

He let Daisy out of the car and she asked her distraught parents, "What's happened?"

"Blake's been kidnapped!" Her mother cried. "His mother called and told us. They talked to the police, but were told that all they can do is wait twenty four hours and hope the kidnappers send a ransom note."


	45. High Stakes

"Where's Kai?" Edele asked as she came into his and Victoria's house with an envelope in hand and saw Victoria doing a crossword puzzle alone on the sofa. "Is he out? I have some mail for him, courtesy of John."

"Well, Kai is currently under house arrest at James Black's house because of something that was _also_ courtesy of John," Victoria explained. "But I'll make sure he gets it." She took the envelope and opened it up. "What is it? Did John tell you?"

"No," Edele shook her head and ordered Victoria to move her feet so she could sit down. "John never tells me anything anymore, so I have no idea." She leaned forward a little. "So…what is it?"

"It's an invitation," Victoria replied and held it out for Edele to look at. "For a ball, at John's house."

"Oh, dear," Edele sighed. "I'd be careful about going if I were you. Or I wouldn't go at all."

"Why?" Victoria asked. "Do you think John is up to something?"

"Well, of course," Edele nodded and pushed some of her dark hair out of her eyes. "The man is _always_ up to something. And I know about the deal you made with him. I would say it's pretty foolish of you."

"You do realize that if you hadn't screwed with my first pregnancy and messed it up for your personal benefit, we wouldn't have had to take this step?" Victoria asked her. "I mean, don't get me wrong: I love Finn and Molly dearly and I don't give a crap at all that they aren't biologically mine, but it's nice to have a second chance. And it's not like I can't handle Kai in an evil state." She grinned. "Actually, I think it's kind of exciting."

"Well, can I just say that I think you're very foolish?" Edele got out. "There's a reason why I had him locked away when he was at his worst."

"He can't be any worse than you are," Victoria shot back. "Give your son a break."

"Well, I would say that I do," Edele replied. "I'm just looking out for you, dear."

"Thank you, but I don't need your advice," Victoria told her curtly. "Now if you've done what you came to do, I'd like you to leave and go bother someone else, or whatever it is you do when you're not here."

"All right," Edele said. "Good luck."

"Thank you," Victoria told her. "But I won't be needing it."

As if to prove her point, Victoria went to James' to see Kai once she was sure Edele was gone. "He's available, right?" She asked Lenora. "I mean, I know he's in punishment so if James would prefer that I stop visiting him, I understand and I'll go."

"Oh, no!" Lenora shook her head. "Come in! James would probably be very happy to know that you're here to take up some of Kai's time. Cause otherwise Kai tends to devote most of his energy to annoying my husband and you know how that ends up."

They then both started as the loud, intrusive sound of an air horn echoed through the house. Well, actually, Victoria started. Lenora just blinked a bit.

"What the hell is that?" Victoria asked.

"Oh, it's been going on every so often all day," Lenora told her. Then James came stomping out, his face red with anger and his blue eyes flashing.

"Lenora, would you tell that damn thief to put that fucking air horn away? He's been setting it off all day for his own amusement and I can't get a damn thing done!"

"Why do I have to do it?" Lenora asked. "You can do it yourself. You have powers."

"Don't worry, James," Victoria told him. "I'll chat with Kai about it while I'm distracting him."

"Oh, bless you," James said and came to give her a hug. "Can you give me a few hours of peace? I would appreciate that very much."

"I can do that very easily," Victoria assured him. "No problem." She then strode off to find her husband and when she saw him with the air horn held over his head, she grabbed his arm. "What are you doing?" She asked.

"Looking for James," Kai answered. "I was just having a little fun with him. You haven't seen him, have you?"

"Yes, but now that I'm here, you're gonna give him a break for a few hours," Victoria said firmly.

"Oh?" Kai raised an eyebrow. "I'm intrigued. What's the alternative?"

"You can come and spend time with me for a few hours," Victoria replied.

"I thought you hated me," Kai told her. "You stabbed me last time."

"You told me that you were gonna have sex with another woman to take revenge on John!" Victoria reminded him. "How else did you expect me to take that?"

Kai paused. "All right," he confessed. "Maybe that wasn't my best idea."

"Gee, you think?" Victoria asked. Then she held out the invitation from Edele. "You don't even need to do anything sneaky to get into John's house. We've been invited to some sort of ball there. You wanna go?"

"Not to dance," Kai shook his head. "But maybe, while everyone _else_ is dancing, you and I could sneak into John's bedroom and spend the entire time in his bed?" He grinned. "What do you say?"

Victoria smiled. "I say that as long as it's me you're doing it with and not anyone else, then what the hell? We haven't seen much of each other since you got put here."

"Well, then let's make up for lost time, shall we?" Kai smiled. "And we have to build up our stamina if we're going to be with each other the whole length of the ball." He headed down a hallway and stopped in front of a big wood door. He magicked it open and then pulled Victoria inside. They were staring at a canopy bed with white sheets and a white pillow case. "All right," he said and began undressing. "This'll do." He pulled the tightly tucked sheets aside and then motioned for Victoria to follow him. "You're not protesting," he observed as he pulled her to him and kissed her neck.

"Why would I protest having sex with my own husband?" Victoria asked.

Kai lowered her down onto the mattress and then said, "I don't know. I thought you would have issue with us doing it in someone else's house or something," he told her.

"Well, in this case, I don't think James would mind," Victoria replied and then gasped as he began to gently suck on her nipples. "I-oh!-I promised that I would…that I would keep you occupied for a few hours so he could have some peace and quiet."

Kai grinned and ran his tongue slowly against her inner thigh and worked his way up until he was between her legs and pleasuring her with slow and steady licks. Then he paused, his eyes full of light. "Well, depending on how loudly you yell, he might not getting any peace at all." He continued to pleasure her until she let out a breath and felt herself come. Then he looked up and licked his lips before leaning down to kiss her before parting her legs and slipping inside her, then pulling out and entering her over and over again.

When he finally rolled off her, her cheeks were red and her entire body was warm and covered in a thin sheet of sweat. "Tired?" He asked as he massaged her stomach.

"No," she panted, although she clearly was. "I could go again. Are _you_ tired?"

"No, I was just stopping in case you were," Kai remarked. Neither of them wanted to admit they were worn out.

"Well, in light of how _not_ worn out we are, let's just hold onto each other for a while, okay?" Victoria suggested and snuggled in Kai's arms.

"All right," Kai agreed and kissed her hair. "That's fine with me."

* * *

"Well, this is interesting," Malachai remarked sarcastically as he read the ball invitation cause they already knew about everyone coming from Jill and had already gotten their suits and dresses. "It says that everyone in my house is invited."

"Is it all right if I skip it?" Jill asked while Percy thought about what he would tell Stephanie.

"Sure, but why?" Helene asked.

"Large groups of people just drain me," Jill replied. "And I…I really can't dance all that well." She paused. "But maybe I should go. Just to…watch out for anything weird that might happen."

"Whatever you want to do is all right with us," Malachai told her. Then, he looked at Helene. "Seems like we got our outfits just in time."

"Apparently," Helene nodded. "But you still need me to hem the pants a little, don't you?"

"Just a little," Malachai agreed. "Thanks a lot."

"No problem," Helene told him. Then she looked at Jill. "I know that Percy and William will have someone to go with," she told her. "Are you going with anyone? Not that it's a problem if you aren't. I'm just curious."

"No, I don't have anyone to go with," Jill told her. "But I have a feeling that I'll be doing more important things than dancing, so maybe that's a good thing."

"Well, whatever works for you," Helene shrugged. "I just don't want you to feel lonely or cheated."

"I don't," Jill assured her. "Don't worry."

But when she was alone in her room a short while later, she began to wonder if what she'd told Helene was entirely true. She sat down on her bed and looked at her palm. Would there ever be anyone out there for her? And what she saw wasn't promising: she would have someone, but just like the boy in the dream, he would be dark and evil, and it would be her job to save him. She might even have to die to do it.

"Great," she muttered to herself as she fell back on her pillow and stared up at the ceiling. "How can I be so lucky?"

* * *

"What did you want from us?" Junior got out as he, Molly, and Finn stood in front of John, who had summoned them for a 'chat'. "Whatever it is, we don't want to have any of it."

"Yeah!" Molly agreed and took Junior's hand. "We don't. So whatever you want to say, save it!"

"Would you like to add anything, Finn?" John asked, waiting for his second son's opinion. But Finn shook his head and said nothing.

"Now that I actually have a chance to talk, I want to say that I have no intention of asking you to do anything troublesome," John told them. "I just…I want to make sure you know about the ball, and that you're coming. Your significant others may join you as well."

"Of course we know!" Finn said. "My mom told me."

"We know too," Molly and Junior said at the same time. And then Junior added, "Now isn't a good time for Sarah. She's not feeling well and can't be out for long periods of time."

"You don't have to fear for her or your child," John told him. "If you come that is."

Junior heard that statement and his eyes widened as he took a few steps back. "How do you know about our baby?" He whispered.

"Oh, Sean," John told him. " _Of course_ I know about your baby. I know about a lot of things."

"But why would you need to know about it?" Junior asked. "Why would you care?" His hands balled into fists. "You better not harm her."

"Oh, please, Sean," John told him. "Do we have to get into threats of violence? Cause you know that if you go that route, you won't win."

"I would if you pushed me hard enough," Junior replied, his eyes narrowed, as Finn whispered in his ear to try and calm him down. "Do you worst."

"All right, fine," John said. "I'll do what you want, just to see the look on your face. But remember that you brought it on yourself. Whatever happens, you decided to challenge me, and I hope you're ready to face the consequences."


	46. The Ball: Part Three

**Parts one and two of the ball are in the last two chapters of Rise Of the Phoenix**

"I _really_ don't know if we should do this," Victoria told Kai as he pulled her along a hallway near the ballroom. "It just seems so troublesome to go into someone else's bedroom and have sex in their bed!"

"Oh, come on, Vicky!" Kai scoffed and kept tugging on her. "We're not really doing anything wrong. Besides, John and Freya are busy doing ball stuff, so how the hell will they know what we're doing?" He paused, his eyes narrowed. "Don't tell me that you'll be so overcome with guilt that you're going to rat us out."

"No, I am _not_ going to rat us out!" Victoria assured him. "I've said what I need to say about how shifty and intrusive I think you're being and since it's falling on deaf ears, what's the point in repeating it?"

"Good thinking," Kai grinned and pulled her into an empty bedroom. "All right," he told her. "You wanna undress first, or should I?" He looked around. "This is big enough to be John and Freya's bedroom, right?"

"There," Victoria replied and zapped off his clothes so that he was standing naked in front of her. "Does that answer your question? The room is a bit big and drafty so you might want to make a run for the bed so you can get under the covers."

Kai took some long strides toward the bed, pulled the covers aside, got in, and then watched eagerly as Victoria undressed before patting the empty mattress beside him. "I think you should come and join me now," he said, smirking at her.

"Oh, you don't have to tell me twice," Victoria replied as she slowly stripped off her clothes, wiggling her hips and her butt while she did it. "Do you honestly think that I'd refuse you?"

"I would hope you wouldn't," he told her as she climbed up next to him and he took her in his arms. "But let's face it: sometimes you would, just to be contrary."

"All right," Victoria nodded, not denying this accusation. "I suppose you have a point." She grinned. "What are you going to do about that?"

"Well, I'll just have to find some way to keep you right where I want you, won't I?" Kai whispered in her ear, pulling her close enough so that their foreheads were touching. Then he backed up and soon, a pair of silver handcuffs were dangling from his pointer finger. "These are always fun."

"Yeah," Victoria grinned as he let her fall back onto the mattress and cuffed her before kissing her and slowly licking her neck. "They really are."

He parted her legs and positioned himself to enter her as she licked her lips. "I hope you're ready for this," he told her. "I'm going to be working you very hard for a very long time."

"Oh, just stop telling me and do it," Victoria said, her hips bucking a little. "Unless you're all talk, that is."

"I'm not," Kai told her and buried himself deep while she let out a cry and then pulled out and entered her over and over again. "I'm a man of action, Vicky. You know that."

* * *

"Where do you think your dad ran off to?" Adrian asked as he and Molly sat at a table in one of the corners of the room playing cards when they were supposed to be dancing.

"Which one?" Molly asked absently.

"The one that I care about who just ran off with your mother," Adrian clarified.

Molly looked up and didn't see any of her parents. "I don't know," she shrugged. "Dad probably got bored and dragged Mom off somewhere to do something else." She paused. "I call. Two pair, what do you have?"

"Flush," Adrian grinned and pulled the dollar bills that had piled up between them toward his body before stuffing them in his pocket.

"Shit!" Molly swore under her breath. "I knew we should have played for pennies. And we don't have to stay here long, you know? We probably should go home to Rusty after a bit."

"I was thinking that too," Adrian remarked. "But since I got dressed up and we came all the way here, I'm doing one dance before we go. I think I owe you that much."

"Yeah," Molly said as she looked at her robin's egg blue halter dress that had a skirt made of several ruffly layers and was long enough to cover her feet. "I would like that. And I am so glad we decided on this color of blue. It looks really good on you."

"You think?" Adrian smiled. "Thanks!" He then reshuffled the deck and dealt out the cards for another hand.

Meanwhile, on the dance floor, Ian and Ethan had found a secluded spot in a corner and were just dancing by themselves, and when Stephanie noticed after Percy twirled her, she gasped and buried her face in his chest.

"What?" Percy asked. "What's the matter?"

"You see those two guys dancing over there? In the matching black suits with red ties?" Stephanie asked as Percy turned so he could get a better look.

"Yeah," Percy nodded and kissed her hair. "What about them?"

"I had a crush on the one with the dark hair and the dark eyes once," Stephanie confessed. "You know, back before I felt like admitting that I liked you?"

"Oh, yes," Percy nodded and chuckled. "I remember that very well. It's nice to know that I wouldn't have had much competition if you'd tried to pursue him."

"Yeah," Stephanie said as she looked up and then kissed his chin. "I bet you're real happy about that."

When the song ended, Ian brought Ethan out to talk to Samantha, who needed to be occupied because Stefan was chatting with his brother as a way to distract him while Annie danced with John, who didn't seem to want to let her go.

"You two look very dapper," Samantha remarked. "I'm glad you could make it out here."

"I was just happy to find something a little more genteel for us to do," Ethan told her. "And it was so much fun taking your brother out to get another suit."

"Yeah, us matching was his idea," Ian told his sister. "I wanted to be in all black."

"Well, you both look good in any case," Samantha assured him and then adjusted his tie which was a tad askew.

Nearby, Finn and Daisy danced, but they were less focused on what their feet were doing and were instead talking about a more pressing issue at hand.

"Have you heard anything about your fiancé?" Finn asked her. "Has he been returned? I mean, I was sure that Grandpa Declan and Grandpa Kol were just gonna beat him up real bad, ask for money, and then return him, hopefully frightened enough that he breaks the engagement off, but when it comes to those two, you can never be sure about anything."

Daisy stopped dancing and stood in the circle of Finn's arms. "No, we haven't heard a thing, even though Blake's parents sent the money. Mom and Dad are disappointed that I'm not more worried or broken up, but I'm not pretending to be sad just for appearances."

"You think I should ask around to see if he's all right?" Finn asked her. "Maybe even attempt a rescue?"

"Oh, please don't do that!" Daisy begged. "If he comes back alive, I'll still have to marry him and then where would that put _us?_ No, let's just let Blake linger for a while and if he happens to be killed, then that's what happened." She shrugged.

"That's a bit cold, isn't it?" Finn asked in surprise as he looked down into her determined dark eyes.

"Do you remember what an ass Blake Martell is?" Daisy pointed out. "If you did, you wouldn't feel sorry for him at all."

Not wanting to start a fight in such a public place, Finn quickly apologized and resumed dancing with Daisy, and from then on, neither of them brought up her lost fiancé again.

When Annie finally excused herself from dancing with John, it wasn't Damon she headed back to, but William, who had just come in with Lucy. He said a quick 'Hello' to his parents and explained the reason he was late was that he and Lucy had been working on an art project together and hadn't wanted to just stop in the middle.

"What sort of art project?" Annie asked him. "When do I get to see it?"

"Soon," Lucy promised her. She was always happy to see the half-sister that made William feel more like a person and less like an outcast. "I think you'll like it. William is doing a wonderful job."

"I was just gonna ask William if he wanted to dance, but…if you want to have the first one, you can," Annie told Lucy. "I've just been dancing up a storm and should probably take a rest anyway."

"If that's what you want, go ahead," Lucy told her. "But if you and William want to dance, you go ahead."

"All right," Annie nodded as William took her hand. She noticed that Damon was still scowling with Stefan as he watched her. "Would you mind going to talk to Damon for me? I think I pissed him off cause I danced with someone else for so long."

"Oh, don't worry about that," Lucy said. "He'll get over it." She watched them go and swished toward the refreshment table to get herself a drink before pausing to admire a Van Gogh picture that was hanging on one of the walls, her blue, purple, green, and pink dress floating around her body. It wouldn't hurt Willian to talk with someone other than her for a change and she could always take the next dance and the one after that.

When the next song began, Adrian and Molly finally put their cards down and went in search of a private corner to do their one dance in. They passed a group of young people who had been standing in the same spot all night without coming down to introduce themselves or talk to anyone.

"What do you think that's about?" Adrian asked. "You saw that your birth father has been pushing people to socialize all night, so why haven't they?"

"I don't know," Molly replied. "There's something weird about that bunch though. Sometimes they're there, and sometimes they aren't." They headed out of the room via a door behind the band and that was when they saw it: a projector that was protecting a very life-like picture of the group of kids, which disappeared after showing for a few seconds.

"Oh, my god!" Molly cried. "What is this?" They sat down in front of the projector and Molly messed with the film reel a little bit so that new images popped up, ones of a warehouse. The kids were in a warehouse, and then John's voice said something about Malachai and his band of children not being able to stop them now.

"Well, damn," she continued, hearing footsteps as she rushed to put the recording where it had been before she'd messed with it. "We gotta go, or we're screwed!" She grabbed Adrian's hand and made them both disappear just as John reached the room and came in to readjust the projector.

* * *

"I'm here," Junior told John in a hushed voice when he got back to the ballroom. "And I brought Sarah too, so there'll be no need for you to do anything that would put her life or the child's at risk."

"Oh, but I think there is," John said, leaning close to him. "You and she have become quite the difficult pair, haven't you? You challenged me and I'm not just going to let that go because you decided to obey me after the fact."

Junior cast a look at Sarah, who was talking with Helene and then turned back to John. "You really are a bastard, aren't you? You would think that expecting a child of your own would make you be more sympathetic to a fellow father to be, but I guess not."

"Yes, exactly," John nodded. "Have you told Sarah about your little mistake? Or your big mistake? It might be kind to warn her ahead of time, don't you think?"

Junior then let out a grunt and sent a punch in John's direction, but John grabbed his fist when it was just inches from his nose. "Now now," he told him. "We don't want you to get any _more_ trouble, do we?"

"No," Junior shook his head. "But I want to make extra sure that you know I _will_ fight for my family if I need to. Do you understand that?"

"Oh, I do," John nodded firmly. "And I don't know if that's smart of you or very stupid."

It was then that Sarah paused talking to Helene and came to join John and Junior. "Hello," she said, narrowing her eyes at him. "You wanna tell us why you invited us here? I mean, the real reason? Not because you wanted to throw some stupid party. There has to be more to it than that."

"I won't," John told her and then reached out to stroke her stomach. "Sean tells me you're expecting. I really wish you the best of luck with that. I really hope nothing goes wrong."

"Oh, I don't plan on it," Sarah told him firmly, trying to conceal the chill she felt, even though his fingertips weren't touching her bare skin at all. "But I would be an idiot if I didn't think you weren't planning on something."

John chuckled, one side of his mouth up. "You're a smart girl," he told her. "You might want to teach your boyfriend a thing or two about how I operate because he's not playing as nicely as you are."

Sarah turned and gave Junior a look. "What are you doing?" She asked between her teeth. "Are you pissing him off? Don't do that!"

"I'm just trying to protect you and the baby, and this is the thanks I get?" Junior snapped. "Jeez, how friendly!"

John watched in amusement for a few minutes and then his head quickly turned as Freya let out a shriek and when he reached her, she begged him to let her retire for the duration of the party.

"I suppose that might be best if we don't want to alarm anyone," John agreed. He picked her up, apologized to the alarmed guests, and then carried her off to their bedroom, which was, oddly enough, locked. After putting Freya on her feet, he jiggled the handle, pounded on the door, and shouted loudly. It took some time before Kai and Victoria both emerged, their clothing rumpled and their cheeks bright red.

"Sorry," Victoria apologized, her eyes bright.

"And may I say, you have a very comfy bed," Kai added and they scampered away before John put the pieces together and came after them for what they'd done.

Once they were gone, John cleared his throat and led Freya into the bedroom, zapping the sheets so that they were clean and then tucking her in them. "I know this probably won't help much, but at least you'll be _a little_ more comfortable, won't you?"

"Oh, I hope so," Freya nodded. "Thanks for getting me out of there."

"You're welcome," he told her and kissed her hair. "I have to be getting back to the guests now, but I'll be coming to check on you in an hour."

"I don't need you to check on me like a child!" Freya snapped and pulled the covers over her head. "Just leave me alone and let me deal with this myself."

"Fine," John spat. "I will. Goodbye!" He slammed the bedroom door and headed back to the ballroom, bristling at just how ungrateful that woman could be sometimes.

* * *

As Jill came out of the bathroom, she heard Freya's screaming and thus was not surprised to see the shape of the young man appear before her again.

"Let's go somewhere a bit more private," he told her.

"I don't know if I want to," Jill replied, trying not to show that she was terrified of him. "You might do something bad to me."

He came toward her and suddenly, she felt cold on her cheek. "I'm not even born yet," said the voice in her head. "What could I possibly do to you?"

"You can't keep showing up like this," she told him. "Every time you do, it hurts your mother. You don't want to hurt her, do you?"

"If it means I get more power, it doesn't matter to me," he replied, his voice hard. "Are you scared of me?"

"No," Jill got out.

"Yes, you are," he said and played with her hair, which was the same color as his. "Good for you. You're very smart."

"Your father wanted to know if you're handsome," Jill got out.

"And what did you tell him?" Asked the voice as Jill tried to keep standing upright. The closer he got to her and the longer he stayed there, the weaker she felt.

"I—I told him you were handsome, but that you'll be a wicked and terrible boy!" She said as her knees began to buckle.

"That about sums it up," the cold voice told her and then burst into laughter.

Just before she fainted, she called out for Helene, and when Helene and Malachai found her, she was in a heap on the floor, her body as cold as ice.

"What should we do?" Malachai asked his wife after picking Jill up. "Didn't you say you had some sort of nurse's training?"

"That's more my mother's area than mine, but we need to get her out of here and take her some place warm," Helene replied. "I know that for sure. Let's go."

"Yeah, we better," Malachai said. "We'll tell the others that we're going and we'll see them later at the house tonight."


	47. The Ball: Part Four

**Part Four of the Ball. Part three is in the previous chapter and parts one and two are in the last two chapters of Rise Of The Phoenix.**

"Would it be too painful for you to explain to us what you were doing passed out on the floor?" Helene asked Jill once she had had some time to recover from what had happened and was resting comfortably in one of the mansion's unused bedrooms not far from the ballroom. "You were so cold and you looked like you were dead!"

"It's…it's really hard to explain," Jill told her. "Otherwise, I would."

"Try," Helene urged. "Please. Seeing you hurt like that terrified me. I don't want you to have to go through this alone."

"Okay," Jill said with a sigh and closed her eyes, the vision of the demon boy clear in her memory. "The baby that Freya is carrying right now is immensely powerful and somehow…don't ask me how cause I have no idea…somehow, it's gotten strong enough using Freya's magic that it can manifest itself in a sort of spirit form and I see it when it does and it sucks the life out of me and that's why I fainted."

"It did all this before it was even born?" Helene asked and put a hand on Jill's forehead. "Are you sure you weren't hallucinating? Maybe you have a fever."

"I don't!" Jill cried. "You wanted to know and I told you. Why did you bother asking if you didn't plan on believing what I had to say?" She then let out a growl and ordered both of them out of the room. She wasn't really surprised by the fact that Helene didn't believe her. No one except her mother ever had.

She turned on her stomach, buried her head in her pillow, and cried for a few seconds and then her tears instantly dried up when she heard a whoosh of air and saw a familiar image over her head. "What are you doing here?" She snapped at the boy. "Haven't you tortured me enough? Leave me alone!"

"I don't know why you're so mad at me," Christian told her and placed a kiss on her cheek. "I believe you when no one else will. You know that, right?"

"It means nothing when you're the one who's the cause of all the problems I have!" Jill cried and picked up the pillow from under her head and swung the pillow in the spirit's direction, but since he disappeared, all she succeeded in doing was knocking a picture from the wall with a clatter. "Ass!" She murmured and then lay down again, shaking her head. She was yelling at nothing. No wonder people thought she was crazy.

* * *

"I know you said that you didn't want me to try and rescue Blake or anything, and of course I won't because like you say, it wouldn't do _our_ relationship much good, but since you're so intent on seeing him dead, would you like me to call my grandfathers and see how things are coming along?" Finn offered Daisy.

"Are you _nuts_?" Daisy asked, eyes widening as she shook him a little. "You can't just call someone up in a public space like this and ask how a kidnapping and murder is progressing!"

"Why not?" Finn asked. "It's not gonna bother anyone. I can assure you that everyone in this room has killed _at least_ one person, and even if they haven't, they know someone who has. We're supernatural creatures. It's a part of life!"

"Well, all right fine," Daisy agreed as Finn pulled out his phone. "But I still would like you to be quiet about it instead of going around and shouting it out to everyone."

"Okay," Finn agreed and pushed her away a little so she wasn't breathing in his ear and distracting him while he was trying to talk to Kol or Declan. He dialed Kol's number and hadn't managed to get out more than a brief 'Hello' before Daisy snatched the phone out of his grip and took control of the conversation.

"Hi there," she said. "It's Daisy. I suspect you have my fiancé held up somewhere and are brutally torturing him as we speak."

"Yes, we are," Kol assured her. "We're doing a very thorough job, I promise you. Listen." He then took the phone away from his ear and Daisy was treated to the sound of Blake's loud screams of pain. He sounded like he was really hurting and she _almost_ felt sorry for him. But then she reminded herself that if he were free, he would just come back and make her life a living hell and her sympathy quickly dried up after that. "So?" Kol told her when he came back on the line. "What do you think?"

"I think you're getting the ransom money's worth," Daisy replied. "Make sure that he's dead, okay?"

"All right," Kol told her. "You know, I really think I like you. You'll fit into our family just fine."

"Well, Finn and I haven't talked about taking our relationship _that_ far," Daisy said. "But if we do, it's nice to know that I'll be welcome." She then noticed that Finn was making grabbing motions and said, "Well, now that I know how things are going, I think I'll give you back to your grandson. He really wants his phone."

"All right," Kol told her. "Goodbye."

Finn gave her a raised eyebrow as he took his phone back because for all her going on and on about wanting to be quiet and subtle when talking about what Kol and Declan had done, she had not been whispering.

"Well, there you go, Grandpa Kol," he said. "That's Daisy for you. Nice to know things are going smoothly."

"Yes," Kol nodded. "I admit Declan and I haven't always been on the best of terms, but I think the way he's taken to teaching Blake a lesson has given me a new appreciation for him."

"Well, I'm sure Grandma Regina will appreciate that," Finn told him. "And Mom too."

"How _is_ your mother?" Kol wanted to know. "Is your father still treating her well? Cause I'm sure we'll still have energy left in us for a few more beatings if that's not the case."

"No, things are fine between Mom and Dad," Finn assured him. "No need to beat my father."

"Oh, there doesn't necessarily have to be a _need_ for it," Kol told him. "We could just be doing it for fun."

"Well, I really don't think you should," Finn told him. "Not if Dad's not doing anything that bothers Mom. That'll just cause unnecessary trouble."

"You know, that's what your grandmother is always saying," Kol huffed. "For once, I wish Regina would let me do what I want!"

"Yes, well, it was nice talking to you," Finn said quickly, cutting the conversation short. "Thanks to you and Grandpa Declan for working on this Blake thing for Daisy and we'll talk again soon." He ended the call before Kol had time to get more words out and let out a huge sigh. "I'm glad that's over."

"Why did you just hang up like that?" Daisy asked. "I would have liked to give your grandfather one last goodbye. I think he likes me."

"He does," Finn nooded and put his arm around her. "Nothing makes Grandpa Kol like someone more than engaging him to commit murder."

"Well," Daisy smiled as they headed back on the dance floor. "Glad I could help."

* * *

About half an hour later, the music stopped and John came to the front of the room with a microphone in hand. "All right," he said. "I'm sorry for interrupting everyone's good time. At least I _hope_ everyone is having a good time, that is?"

A cheer rose up from some of the crowd and then John cleared his throat and moved on. "I bet you're all wondering what you're doing here today. Are you?"

A series of whispers broke out as the couples agreed with this statement and asked each other just why they'd been invited there in the first place.

"Well, the time has come for me to answer that for you," John told them grandly. "And to do that, I'll need a little help. Malachai McCullough? Do you and your friend there want to come up here and tell everyone in the room what you've been talking about for the last ten minutes or so?"

Everyone's attention turned to Malachai and Adrian, who'd been talking about the projection he'd found in the room behind the stage. They then broke apart and marched up to join John.

"I don't want to tell you anything because it's none of your business," Malachai told him, flushing a little. "And wherever it is that you're keeping the other children, I'd like you to let them go."

"Oh, but they aren't being harmed," John promised. "Didn't you see that in the tape, Adrian? That and the fact that some of the guests here are projections also? You'll see the real people on the recording." He snapped his fingers and ordered a nervous-looking lackey to come in with the projector and set up the recording. As it played, John waited and when it was all over, everyone was staring at him, their jaws dropping. Some looked terrified and were clutching one another's hands. There was no doubt as to whether or no he had everyone's attention.

"You have all been invited here because you're children of this foolish man Malachai McCullough, or else someone I would like to watch him fail," he told the crowd, a broad smile on his face. And then he turned to a shocked Malachai. "Now that I have the rest of the children so you can't finish your coven and have enough power to defeat me, what will you do? Please tell me. I'd be interested to know."

"Well, I don't know at the moment, but I'll think of something," Malachai replied as his hands balled into fists and Helene and Kai came up to pull him off the stage before he did something that he would regret later. "Believe me I will."

"I hope so," John chuckled. "Cause if you didn't, what fun would that be?"

After the speech, everyone tried to go back to dancing, but the mood in the room was irrevocably changed and tension hung heavy in the air. Sarah and Junior had watched the speech and Sarah said, "You know Malachai's gonna try and get the others out. We should help him."

"I'll help him," Junior told her. "You shouldn't."

"Why the hell not?" Sarah asked, hands on her hips as she tried not to wince at the pain that was in her head and back. "I'm capable. I can fight!"

"Yes, but you're also pregnant and that makes you vulnerable," Junior reminded her. Then he confessed what he knew she wouldn't like to hear. "I didn't want to come to the ball at first because of your condition and he threatened to hurt you if I didn't, so I decided to, but now…now I think he wants to try and hurt you just to try and keep me in line. I'm sorry. That's why you have to do as little as possible: so you're not around him so he can get bad ideas into his head."

"Oh, my god," Sarah sighed. "So what you're telling me is that I'm a pawn in this power struggle between you and John? No." She shook her head. "I know you mean well, don't get me wrong, I'm glad you're trying to protect me and the baby, but…give me a little credit, will you? I know better than to just walk into the arms of danger." She shut her eyes and rubbed her temples. "I don't feel well. I'm gonna go sit down."

Junior watched her go and sighed. Between John who didn't do anything he said and Sarah who didn't do anything he said, he could feel that whatever happened between them wouldn't end well at all, no matter how much he tried to lessen the consequences. He then went over to Malachai, who had a drink in hand, and said, "If you need anyone to help you rescue the other kids, I'll come with you."


	48. Picking Between Two Evils

"Well, that's a happy face," Eva remarked as Junior led a very grumpy Sarah into his uncle and Eva's house. "What's wrong with you, Sarah?"

"Don't get me wrong," Sarah told her. "You and Sean are lovely people and I appreciate your hospitality and help through all this, but I really don't see how my staying here is going to help anything. I feel I would be much more helpful if your pigheaded nephew would let me go on this trip with him."

Junior sighed. "We talked about this: What Malachai and I are doing is dangerous. If you come with us, the baby could end up being miscarried, and do you want that?"

"No," Sarah shook her head. "But at the same time, you know it's well-protected and I'm not fragile, right?"

"Yes, I know that," Junior replied and took her in his arms before kissing her hair. "Believe me, I do. I know this is no picnic for you, and I'll find some way to make it up to you if you'll just let me have the peace of mind of knowing that you and the baby are safe? Will you do this for me?"

Sarah sighed. "Fine, I'll do it," she said. "But I won't be happy about it."

"Yes, I think that point is well-established," Junior told her.

"My god, why is everyone I'm around in bad moods all of a sudden?" Eva huffed. "My father's in a bad mood because of the whole Freya thing, Sarah's in bad mood because of the whole Freya thing…why can't I be around happy people?"

"Why would your father be in a bad mood about Freya?" Sarah asked and sat down. "What did she ever do to him?"

"She's gotten more love and affection out of him than Daddy ever has his whole life," Eva explained. "And that's even _after_ her terrible betrayal and wanting to throw the family away for her own selfish gain. Daddy's pissed off about that. He says that if he'd done the same thing, Grandpa Mikael would have tossed him out on his butt in a minute and ordered him to never darken his doorway again, which is something I don't doubt."

"So what's your dad gonna do about it?" Sarah asked curiously.

"Oh, I don't know!" Eva sighed. "Mom will probably convince him not to do anything _too_ stupid, but I'm sure if he talks to Grandma Gwen, they'll work something out."

"Is that Junior and Sarah I hear?" Sean called out.

"Yes, it is!" Eva called back. "Why don't you get out here and say 'Hello'?" She then looked at Junior. "He's coming out of his library, you know. He never hears anyone when he's in there."

"Oh, yes," Junior nodded. "I remember."

His uncle then appeared a few minutes later and, like Eva had, immediately noticed Sarah's sour face. "Are you okay?" He asked her.

"No, not really," Sarah shook her head and sat down. "But I suppose in time I will be." She gave Sean an appealing look. "Will you please tell your nephew that it's insane for him to just go off with Malachai and rescue the rest of the coven kids who are being held hostage when it could very well get him killed? And then I'll have to raise a baby by myself and I just…I don't know if I can handle that."

Sean looked at his nephew. "Are you sure that what you're planning is a good idea?" He asked.

"Well, it might not be the smartest idea that I've ever had," Junior admitted. "But I feel that since it was my birth father that caused all this trouble by kidnapping those kids, I owe it to them to try and get them back. And that's my final answer on the subject."

"All right, so you won't be swayed," Sean nodded. "But could you at least try to talk to John about letting them go before you and Malachai run off and risk your lives? That could be safer."

"Or it could not," Junior pointed out. "You've obviously never met John."

"Would you try and talk to him first, please?" Sarah asked. "For me? For the baby? I've heard enough stories about Daddy having regrets regarding missing Selina growing up because he felt like he needed to go to war and be a hero. Don't make yourself have those same regrets, Junior. Not if you can avoid it. Please?"

"And you pull out the emotion card," Junior sighed and took her hand. "All right," he promised and kissed her. "I'll go talk to John and see if we can't get this whole mess straightened out the easy way. But if we try and we fail, I'm going with Malachai. Is that fair?"

"Yes," Sarah nodded. "You try talking and fail, then you can go with Malachai to actually rescue the coven kids and I won't say another word against it, I promise."

Junior gave her a smile, then hugged her, his uncle, and Eva. "Thank you so much for watching the person who is more important to me than anyone else. I owe you one."

"Oh, it's nothing," Eva assured him. "We're glad to do it. You just go do what you need to do, and regardless of what happens, we'll see you again when it's all over."

"Good luck," Sarah told him, getting up to walk with him as he headed to the door."

"Thank you," he told her. "I'll be back soon. I promise."

* * *

With Freya still being at her father's house, that meant John was alone and he didn't like it one bit. He stomped around the house at all hours of the night, drinking and yelling at nothing and breaking everything he could get his hands on.

"Well, isn't this familiar?" Edele appeared and smiled while lounging on his living room sofa. "What's a matter, lover? Lonely? Has your little friend finally escaped? If she comes back, she's a bigger fool than I was."

"Why are you here?" John snapped. "Why is it that when I'm always at my worst, you show up and make it just awful for me?"

"After you treated me, you think you're still entitled to me being kind?" Edele asked, sitting up and raising an eyebrow. "Wow, that's naïve of you. I thought you were smarter than that, John."

"Just go away and cause whatever trouble you're causing now," he told her tiredly. "I'm really not in any state of mind to deal with your stupid taunts right now."

"You aren't even gonna ask about your children before I go?" Edele asked. "Do they even matter to you anymore, or did I go through all that trouble to get you heirs for nothing?"

"Oh, they still matter," John nodded. 'It's just that…I have a lot on my mind right now, that's all."

"Yes," Edele replied dryly. "I can see how dealing with a crazy woman would wear on you."

"She's not crazy," John defended Freya. "She just gave birth to our son. And from what I hear, that can be very difficult for a woman."

"Oh, you don't have to tell me," Edele reminded him. "I've done it myself."

"Can you go?" John asked irritably. "I just want to have a quiet night to myself if I can't be with Freya. I've called her parents' home several times, but she won't answer."

"It must be so painful for you to be ignored when you've spent so much of your life thinking you're the center of the universe," Edele said, putting a hand on his cheek. Then she gave his cheek a squeeze before disappearing with a grin and leaving him alone in his big house. He went to the kitchen and poured himself another drink, but just as he was sitting down on the leather sofa to drink it, the doorbell rang.

"Who could be coming to visit me at this time of night?" He asked himself as he put his drink down and went to get the door. "Who could be coming to visit me at all?" He opened the door and said with surprise, "Sean, how nice! I wasn't expecting you."

"We need to talk," Junior told him. "About the kids you kidnapped."

"What do you want to talk about regarding them?" John asked, sitting back down on the sofa and crossing one leg over the other. "If you want me to just release them, the answer is 'No'." He paused. "Or maybe…maybe there might just be a way. It depends on you. How confident are you in your ability to make decisions?"

"Very confident," Junior told him firmly as he stared at him without blinking. "What's the deal? Whatever it is, I'll do it, because those kids should not have to suffer at your hands because you and Malachai have issues."

"Oh, this is about much more than just Malachai and I having issues," John told him. "He and his little coven put my entire plan for world domination at risk so I _have_ to get rid of them. I have no other choice. Except for one."

"And what is it?" Junior asked, eyes narrowing. "Just spit it out."

"I'll give you the remaining four coven children if you give me…" John said, pausing then to lick his bottom lip, his eyes taking on a wicked light. "If you give me your Sarah and your child. Surely those two people are equal to the four I'd be giving up."

"Sarah?" Junior asked, his stomach feeling like he was in a plunging elevator. "You want Sarah and my baby? What for?"

"That's my business," John told him. "But like I say, the choice is yours. I don't suppose Sarah would particularly like you much if you took my deal, but since you're so confident in your ability to make the right choice, I have no doubt you'll do the right thing."

"Damn you!" Junior shouted! "Why do you have to be such a bastard?"

"You came to _me_ wanting a favor!" John reminded him. "And you should know by now that I don't just give favors without knowing I'm going to get something in return. So…your wife and child? Or those coven children you've never met? Take your pick."

* * *

The warehouse was dark and damp and every time one of the four prisoners even so much as breathed, they were reprimanded and a bat was swung at them with a yell to be silent from one of the many guards watching them. But that didn't deter them. They waited until the guards went to sleep and then held a conference in a space that was some distance away from their captors' sleeping area.

"I don't know why we're even here!" The only girl, a blonde named Leslie cried. "The only thing weird about me is that I have powers! We all do! Do you think that's why we got kidnapped?"

"Oh, it has to be!" A muscular young man with dark hair that stuck up at all angles cause he kept pushing it back and dark blue eyes said. "I bet this is part of some big government experiment and they're gonna start cutting us up any day now.

"What?" Leslie asked, looking worried. She turned to another young man with dark hair and dark eyes who put his arm around her and let her rest her head on his shoulder. "They wouldn't do that to us, Caleb!" She looked up hopefully at the young man who held her. "Isn't that right, Patrick?"

"Exactly, I wouldn't worry," Patrick assured her. "If they're just planning to experiment on us, we can use our powers to get away, right?"

They then turned to stare at a young man who hadn't come to join them. He sat languidly apart from the group, his light brown hair hanging in his eyes, and a cigarette dangling from his mouth. He looked remarkably unaffected by all that was going on.

"Any thoughts on this, Todd?" Caleb asked him.

"No," Todd shook his head. "Not really."

It was then that Patrick made a frustrated noise and then let go of Leslie so he could run at Todd and punch him in the face. "Don't you understand that we're being held captive here? We could _die!_ Why doesn't that matter to you? Why won't you help us?"

"Because unlike the rest of you, I can admit the truth to myself," Todd told him firmly and pushed him away. "No one has ever cared about us our whole lives! What makes you think now will be any different? It's better to just give up and let what happens happen. Then we won't be disappointed."

"We can't give up," Leslie said, coming to take his hand. "Someone will come and rescue us, I know it."

"Fine," Todd told her, looking unimpressed as he turned away. "Whatever you say, sweetheart. You want to live in a fantasy land where people actually care about you? About us? That's your right, but don't drag me into it. Just leave me alone, all right?"


	49. Kai's Day Out

"Okay, here I am," Kai remarked as he stepped into James' office at the Council building after Lenora had told him that James wanted to talk to him. It was just before the end of the work day. "What did you want? Your wife was oddly mum on the details. This isn't some trick to throw me in jail, is it?"

"No, you idiot," James told him curtly. "You were let out to go to the ball on the condition that you would tell me if anything regarding the Phoenix case happened. Now the ball is over and you have to report. Anything to tell me?"

"Well, for one thing, the Phoenix has kidnapped the remaining children from Uncle Malachai's coven in an attempt to delay or even stop his plan from being defeated," Kai told James. "He made a big speech about it. There were slides and everything."

"And does your uncle have plans to rescue these other children or are we really and truly screwed?" James asked.

"I don't know," Kai said. "I've been locked up at your house and haven't really had a chance to talk to him, have I? If you want to know Uncle Malachai's plans, you'll have to ask him yourself."

"Fine, I will," James told him. "I don't need you as much as you think. I can handle some things myself."

"Good for you," Kai replied. "Cause I'm sure Astrid and the Council would rue hiring you for this job if you can't even do it properly."

James scoffed and took out his phone. "Just tell me your uncle's number so I can talk to him and go to your room."

"All right, Mr. Cranky Pants," Kai remarked and then sat down while James called someone to come and drive him back home.

* * *

After talking with James, Kai was escorted back to his room and James and Lenora's house and told to stay put until he was needed again.

"Do you really think that's the best way to deal with him?" He heard Lenora asked James after sneaking into a nearby hallway when they were otherwise occupied. "I mean, it's his uncle and his mother and the guy he made a deal with that are all a part of this. We can use him, but he won't do us any good if you just lock him up in a room. Do I make sense?"

"Of course you make sense," James told her. "But I didn't spend all those years chasing him around and trying to keep him in the Council jail without learning a thing or two about how sneaky he is. Just because we let him out with the stipulation that he use that time to talk to his uncle or something, that doesn't mean he'll do it. For all we know, he'll just run away!"

This was when Kai felt the need to defend himself. "Just a minute now!" He said, zapping himself out of his hiding space and coming to face them. "Listen to your wife! I can be useful. You can trust me. And I know that no matter how much you don't want to admit it to yourself, deep down, you know you can't get anywhere with this unless you let me help you."

"Oh, shit," James swore and rolled his eyes. "You're right. And I hate it when you're right."

"It's good that you're finally being sensible," Kai told him in a very serious voice before looking at Lenora. "Isn't it good that he's finally listening to reason? We should get him a congratulatory cake or something to commemorate this great accomplishment."

"Kai, you're not helping," Lenora told him firmly, her dark eyes severe. "Skip the gloating and tell us just how you plan to help us."

"Yes, and as soon as possible would be a good idea," James added. "This morning, we got a letter with a very gloating tone saying that his son had been born and not only that, was full grown so now he can put his plan into motion and we can't do anything about it." He scoffed and shook his head. "That Phoenix isn't shy about bragging and letting out every phase of his plan, is he? You'd think he would worry that giving it away would make it easier for us to defeat him."

"Oh, please, he's invincible and he thinks we're all idiots," James' son Henry said as he came into the room, his dark hair mussed and his blue eyes bright with their usual good humor. "He probably thinks that bragging and giving us a sporting chance will make the chase more interesting."

"You have a very good point," James agreed. "Where's your sister?"

"She didn't come home with me," Henry told him. "She and Marcel decided to go to dinner after work, so they won't be around, but she said that she would call you tonight."

"Well, good," James nodded. "That's all I ask. It's very important I know where everyone is cause who knows when one of you could be kidnapped at any given moment?"

"Oh, I know," Henry replied and zapped up a banana, quickly peeling it. "That's what makes our lives so exciting."

James heard this and raised an eyebrow. "And how does Maggie feel about that? I know she gets most of her adventure from books, so how does she like you running around and risking your life every day?"

"Maggie" was Elijah and Selina's daughter Margaret, one of their triplets (along with her siblings Tristan the doctor and Annaliese the adventurer), and a woman whose intellectual bent, tendency toward being reserved, and very serious nature was in contrast to Henry's very outgoing and flirty personality.) She never minded staying home while Henry went out and about as long as he told her beforehand when he was doing something dangerous or going somewhere far away (and in that case, he had to ask if she wanted to come with him.)

"She's fine with it," Henry told her. "As long as we communicate, she knows I need more than she does when it comes to adventure and excitement, so when I leave every day, she tells me goodbye, wishes me luck, and waits for me to come home."

"Well, good," James smiled. "I've always been impressed with how well the two of you have worked things out."

Kai let this conversation go on a little longer and then loudly interrupted. "Hate to spoil this family reunion, but you _do_ remember that I'm still here, right?"

"Yes," James nodded. "And I don't know _why_ because I thought for sure that us not paying any more attention to you would be a sure sign that you need to leave and go find the Phoenix like you said you would. Get a move on!"

"Well, fine," Kai huffed. "I will, since you asked so nicely." He then disappeared, leaving James, Lenora, and Henry alone, hoping that he was doing exactly they said and not something that would get him in more trouble than he already was.

* * *

"What is it that you want?" John asked when he opened the door to Kai's knock. "You know I don't need you unless I say I do."

"Yes I know that," Kai nodded. "But I hear that you have a son now and I came by to offer my services to help him acclimate. You know, get along in the world, reach his sneaky and evil potential…that sort of thing. What do you think?"

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to give it a shot," John shrugged. "But as the person he spends most of his time with is a beautiful blonde named Jill, you might not interest him."

"Oh, please," Kai scoffed. "I'm fostering evil in him. Who _wouldn't_ find that interesting?"

John gave him a long and suspicious look. "I don't know," he said. "I'm not sure I trust you."

"Oh, now that's not fair!" Kai complained. "You trust me to wrought evil on the world on your behalf, but you don't trust me to interact with your kid, who you presumably want to be the same way? Where's the problem?"

"The problem is that you are not me, and I want to raise him my way," John said. "You would probably just mess him up." He paused. "But my telling you 'No' isn't gonna change anything, is it?"

"No," Kai shook his head. "If you won't just tell me where he is, I have other ways of finding him. Don't you worry."

* * *

He disappeared, leaving John cursing under his breath, and tried to think of another way to find the Phoenix's son. He zapped himself home and found Victoria sitting at the dining room table having coffee with a girl he was sure was one of Malachai's children, even though he didn't know her name off the top of his head.

"Hi, Vicky," he said and waved.

"Hi," Victoria replied. "What are you doing here? Does James know that you're out and about?"

"Now, Vicky," Kai said, a hand on his heart. "You wound me! What sort of greeting is that to give your husband?"

"It's exactly the sort of greeting I give you when I suspect you're up to something," Victoria told him firmly. "I know that James isn't exactly your best friend, but him keeping you under guard is for your own good. Since you've gone over to the dark side as a way to pay John back for the favor he did for you, we want to make sure that you don't do too much that you'll regret later."

"John?" The blonde asked, wide-eyed as she looked up from her coffee. "You mean, the father of the guy who is currently ruining my life?" she narrowed her eyes and shook her fist. "If I could just get my hands on him!"

"You know the Phoenix's son?" Kai asked her. "You wouldn't be Jill by any chance, would you? John told me that his son was obsessed with someone named Jill when I went to visit him."

Jill scoffed when she heard this. "Yep, I think 'obsessed' is the right term for what he is. Every time I turn around, there he is. I wish he would go bother someone else once in a while. He won't even talk to his parents."

Kai heard this and felt a little stab in his gut, cause when he'd first met Victoria, he'd behaved much the same way. "Has it ever occurred to you," he told her stiffly, "That he might be hanging around you a lot not only because he wants to cause you trouble, but because he doesn't have anywhere else to go and he feels you're the one person on this earth who makes him seem like he matters cause you're the one who puts up with him? That's how I felt with Victoria."

"He's not lying," Victoria concurred.

"Well, gee," Jill said, feeling a little ashamed at her outburst. "I never thought of it that way. I mean, I still think he's got evil tendencies and I'm always gonna watch my back, but…I'll try and be a little more open-minded about why he hangs around me so much."

"Good," Kai said firmly. "Cause I think it might be good for him." He paused. "If you tell me where he is, I might just be able to give you a break."

"You can?" Jill asked. "I don't know if that would actually work, but thanks for trying anyway." She looked around and then called out, "Christian? Where are you?"

A few seconds later, Christian popped in, stood behind her, shouted "Boo!" and laughed as she let out a shriek. "Oh, my god!" He said, struggling to breathe. "You should have seen the look on your face. You were terrified! It was hilarious!"

Jill glared at him and he quickly became serious for a few seconds before a slick smile curved his lips as he strode toward her and leaned in close. "What can I do for you?" He whispered in her ear, his bottom lip touching her earlobe. "I never expected you to call for me. And if you don't have any ideas…" He zapped up a long roll of paper with writing on it. "…I've got a list."

"Actually, I didn't call you here for me," Jill told him and gestured at Kai. "This is Kai. I think you'd get something out of talking to him."

"Yeah," Victoria agreed. "His mother didn't really like him, either."

Christian studied Kai intensely and then said, "All right. Let's talk."

They then left after Christian gave Jill a deep kiss and she cheered to herself: "I'm gonna get a break from him! I'm gonna get a break from him!" Then she looked at Victoria, a slight blush coloring her cheeks. "Is it horrible that I'm so happy about this? Does that make me a bad person?"

"No, of course it doesn't," Victoria said and took her hand. "It's very wearing emotionally to have someone like Christian or Kai be dependent on you. It's not wrong to want a break. It's not like you're planning on abandoning him forever."

"You're right, I'm not," Jill agreed. "And if what you say about Kai and his mother is true, I think your husband would be a better help for him in some ways than I would anyway."

* * *

"Did your mother really hate you?" Christian asked Kai. "Cause I think my parents hate me."

Kai sighed. "Well, Mother's not really a fan of men in general, so when it turned out that I wasn't the daughter she wanted, she killed my human birth father, and then doomed me to a life of feeling like I'd never be good enough for her. She was never shy about telling me that. I resorted to stealing magic cause I thought if I was super powerful, she would love me. But when I finally stole my cousin Sean's…that was when she tattled on me to the Council and they locked me up for years."

Christian scoffed. "It sounds like your mother and my father would really get along. Granted I haven't spent a lot of time with my parents, but the time I have has not led to warm and fuzzy feelings, you know? Not like I feel when I'm with Jill."

"You have good taste," Kai said appreciatively. "She's really pretty."

"Isn't she though?" Christian smiled. "I have such plans for her and I can't wait to put them into action!"

"What sort of plans?" Kai asked. "You can tell me. I won't say a word."

"I applaud you for trying to get me to open up," Christian told him firmly. "But I know my father has eyes and ears everywhere, so I prefer to keep that stuff private. I hope you understand."

"Yes," Kai sighed. "I guess I do."

"Good," Christian smiled. "I'm glad we had this talk. We should do it again sometime."

Yes, Kai thought to himself as Christian left the room. After what your father told me about his plans for your upbringing, I'm sure he'd just _love_ that!


	50. Christian Takes Control

"Christian, son…" John said, putting a hand on his shoulder to stop him as Christian tried to head out again.

"What?" Christian asked irritably. "You want to go on and on about all your plans to take over the world and how I fit in to them?"

"Well, at some point, yes I do," John nodded. "But I suppose it can wait. It doesn't have to be right now."

"No, we might as well get it over with," Christian sighed. He followed John to his office and noticed a picture of Edele on John's desk. It was pushed nearly to the edge and would fall off with just a touch of your finger, but it was still there.

"Who's that?" Christian asked as he picked it up. "It's not Mother, I know that much."

"Just an old girlfriend," John told him. "No one you need to worry about. We parted ways and she has another family now. And a son named Kai who's a terrible criminal." He grinned. "Good thing for me that my children are going to go on to greater things."

Christian looked up at this. "You knew Kai's mother? Really? When were you going to tell me that?"

"Never," John shook his head. "And I don't know why you care so much anyway, when it's not even relevant to you."

"Oh, it's relevant to me," Christian smiled, trying to get his mind to focus on the woman in the picture so he could see where she was and go find her. " _Very_ relevant. And with that thought in mind, we'll have to postpone our little talk. Suddenly, I have more urgent things to do."

John scoffed. "Well, isn't that convenient?" He narrowed his eyes. "You're not gonna come back, are you?"

"Oh, I'll come back," Christian replied. "But it might take some time because like I told you, I have things to do and people to see. Goodbye, Father."

"Goodbye," John called after him, giving him a half-hearted wave that he didn't see as his son sprinted toward the front door, pulled it open, and then ran out. A few seconds later, there was a roar of a car engine and then silence. John shook his head and went to sit at his desk again. Maybe he'd been too desperate to have the boy grow up. Maybe having him spend some time as a child really wouldn't have hurt too much in the long run. But hindsight was always twenty/twenty, wasn't it?

* * *

"Oh, shit!" Edele cried as she tripped on the sidewalk while going out to her car from the mall. The boxes and bags in her hands went flying and just as she was ruing how long it would take her to pick it all up, she gasped to find that it was neatly piled beside her. Then she looked up as someone held his hand out.

"Do you need some help?" He asked with a smile. He was a handsome young man: blonde, blue-eyed, and with a little wicked smile that seemed somehow familiar even though she'd never seen him before in her life.

"Yes," she said and stood up. "Thank you."

"It's no trouble," he said. "I'm just glad to be of assistance to the mother of a friend."

"Oh?" Edele asked. "Do you know any of my children?"

"Your son Kai," he said. "My name's…Joe."

"Oh," Edele nodded and sucked in her breath. "I'm sorry about him. He's a bit of a troublemaker." She paused. Now that she got a better look at him, a feeling that something wasn't quite right came over her. "Where did you two meet?" She asked.

"Oh, I don't remember," Christian shrugged. "It was so long ago. Would you like me to help you take these packages to your car?"

"Sure," Edele smiled. "I would love that. Thank you." He helped her take her bags to the car and then, just as Edele was about to get inside, he stopped her.

"Do you and Kai talk a lot?" He asked as he began to talk faster and faster. "Cause he told me this horrifying story about a big threat that's about to overtake the supernatural world! Everyone needs to know about it! A crazy demon named Christian is just gonna kill everyone! And his father's name is John. John's family created all of the supernatural species that exist, you know." He finally paused to take a breath as he got in the passenger's seat of Edele's car and gave her an appraising look. "You wouldn't happen to know that John…would you?"

"Well," Edele, sighed, gripping the steering wheel tight. "I might have…for a while. But we don't have much to do with one another now because he's absolutely insane, isn't he? I honestly thought he could be the love of my life." Her gaze went dark. "I even gave him children! It was a long and difficult process! But then how does he repay me? By dumping me for some baby-faced blonde because she's more powerful and prettier, and…oh, that _bitch!"_

Christian watched her pound the steering wheel for a few seconds, and then hit her head against it, activating the horn and then letting her fall back unconscious into the driver's seat. Granted his relationship with his mother was complicated, and he wasn't exactly sure she really liked him, but he would be damned if he let her be insulted by one of his father's leftovers. He then got out of the car, came around to get Edele's unconscious body to put in the passenger seat, then started the car and drove her from the mall, zapping up the house to put her in along the way.

* * *

Christian drove up to the house he'd zapped up and parked in the driveway, then picked up the unconscious Edele and carried her inside, putting her to bed and tucking her in, then giving her cheek a light slap to wake her up.

"What?" She asked, looking around and putting a hand to her throbbing, bleeding head. "Where am I?"

"You're in a safe house," he told her. Then he chuckled. "Well, _you_ might not think it's so safe, but I won't harm you. Your son and I are having a bit of a spat at the moment and I figure I could use you as bait to teach him a lesson. That and I just hate John too. Do you think taking you would piss him off?"

Edele heard this and chuckled. "Yeah, right. My son doesn't care about me. Neither does John. In fact, they'd probably applaud you for what you've done and insist on coming over to help you with the torture. That's the flaw in your plan, my friend." She then put a hand on his arm. "Come on, you can tell me," she urged. "Why are you really mad? Why do you want to kidnap me?"

"I don't have to tell you anything," Christian bristled and pulled away from her. "Stay here. I have to go and have a talk with someone. I'll be back soon."

"All right," Edele replied in an affable voice. She sensed that she wouldn't be hurt, and since he'd said flat out that she was only being used as bait and because of that, it wouldn't do him any good to kill her, she figured it wouldn't do any harm to accommodate his wishes. "I'll stay here. You go have your talk. See you when you get back."

* * *

"Well, you came home a lot sooner than I expected," John smiled at him. "Good. Now we can talk."

"Yes," Christian replied, his smile tight. "Let's do that. I have something I want to talk to you about as well."

"There is?" John asked, then smiled. "Wonderful." They went back to his office and sat down. "Since you want to make this effort to bring us closer, I'll let you start," John smiled. "What is it that you want to say?"

"I want to know why you keep a picture of your ex-girlfriend in plain sight when you claim to be in love with my mother," Christian demanded. "Tell me."

"What I have with your mother is complicated," John tried to explain. "I wouldn't say that either of us love each other yet, but I care about her. The worry I felt at your birth proves to me that I'm beginning to feel deeper things for her."

"Ah," Christian nodded. "So really you're just using Mother for your own ends in the same way you're using me? Good to know. Where is she?"

"Your mother? At her father's house," John replied. "I don't know when she's planning to come back."

"Right," Christian nodded. "Thank you." He ran off again before John could talk about what he wanted to, hoping that when he reached his mother's house, she would let him in.

"Who are you?" Freya asked when she opened the door to his knock. "Are you selling something, cause we don't need anything at the moment."

"No, Mother, it's me, Christian," Christian told her. "Can I come in? Please?"

"Oh, right," Freya nodded. "I just find it hard to believe sometimes since I just gave birth to you." Christian stepped forward and when he had one foot on the threshold, Freya stopped him. "But before you come in, answer one question for me."

"Sure," Christian nodded. "What is it?"

"Did your father send you?" Freya questioned. "Are you here to do his bidding?"

"No," Christian shook his head. "Actually, it would probably make him mad if he knew I was here."

"All right," Freya smiled. "Come in, son. Let's talk." But when they were both inside, she was surprised that all he did was grab her and pull her into a hug that was so close and so tight that she could hardly breathe.

"Are you hugging me?" Freya asked in a strangled voice. "This is nice, but why? Could you loosen your grip? I can barely breathe!"

"Sorry," Christian quickly apologized and let go of her, giving her a nice kiss on the cheek instead. "Is that better?"

"Much," Freya nodded and took in a breath. "Thank you." Then she said, "What prompted that?"

"I found out that John is still consorting with one of his old girlfriends," he told her. "Did you know about that?"

"You mean Edele?" Freya chuckled. "Don't worry about her. She was tossed to the curb when I came along. Your father doesn't like her anymore cause she can't do anything for him."

"You're just as much his victim as I am, aren't you?" Christian asked, understanding dawning as he looked at her. "No wonder you don't like me. I probably remind you of all the shit he put you through."

"It's not that I don't like you," Freya replied and put a hand on his cheek. "It's just that your father and I have a very complicated relationship. The reasons for your conception…well, you weren't exactly created out of the love between your two parents, I'll tell you that. And I'm new to this whole mothering thing, so give me time, please. I don't hate you Christian. It might take me time to get to the point where I can give you the affection you deserve, but I don't hate you."

"Thank you," Christian smiled and gave her one more (gentle) hug before saying, "Now I'm off to avenge both of us."

"By doing what?" Freya asked. "Should I be worried?"

"No," Christian smiled. "The only one who will be worried is Father."

* * *

The four kids let out a shriek as the door to their confinement room opened. "All right," said a voice. "You're free. Go ahead and leave."

"Is this a trick?" Asked Todd. "And how are we supposed to leave with the guards everywhere?"

The guards are dead," Christian told them. "Don't be stupid and ask too many questions. Just go."

"Let's do it," Leslie cried and grabbed Caleb's hand. Taking deep breaths, the four made a run for it, gleeful when they weren't stopped. Christian watched them go, smirking to himself at what his father's reaction would be when he found out they were missing.

* * *

"What I don't understand is how you got here?" Kai said when he ended up at the townhouse after making several calls to Edele and not being able to reach her.

"I was kidnapped," Edele replied, a smirk on her face. "Apparently by John's son. He doesn't like it that I had a thing with his father."

"Well, that makes two of us," Kai replied. He then stared at her. "What are you doing? Why aren't you coming with me? I'm rescuing you?"

"That's very sweet," Edele told him. "But I think I can rescue myself. Let's just wait for Christian to come back. It'll make him think he's won."

"Here you are!" Christian proclaimed when he came upon them. "I knew you would come to rescue your mother, Kai!"

"Why did you take her in the first place?" Kai asked.

"For my mother's sake," Christian replied. "And as a reminder to you that no matter what it is you have going on with my father, you should always stay out of my business, because if you don't, next time, I'll kidnap someone you actually care about, and depending on how I feel, I might not keep them alive."

"Can we go now?" Kai asked, unimpressed.

"Yes," Christian huffed. "Just go."


	51. Doing What Daddy Wants

"Well, you got back quickly," Mary commented as Junior came through the door of Eva and Sean's house. "Did you do what you needed to do?"

"Actually, and you're not gonna believe this, by the time we got to the building where John was keeping them, they were gone!" Junior said. "Malachai and I looked everywhere."

"That's good!" Mary cried. "Maybe they escaped. How wonderful for them!"

"Or maybe they didn't," Eva put forth from her spot on the sofa next to Sean as he put an arm around her and played with her blonde hair. "Maybe they weren't in the building because John's killed them all!"

"He wouldn't do that yet," Junior assured her and sat down. "How's Sarah? Is she all right?"

"Yeah, she's resting right now," Sean told him. "But I'm sure she'd love it if you went into her room and told her you were all right."

Junior nodded and went to greet Sarah and give her a kiss. "Hi," he greeted her as he took her in his arms. "I just wanted to let you know that I made it back all right."

"Well, good," Sarah replied. "So glad to hear."

"How are you doing?" He asked. "Good? Bad? Anything I can do for you?"

Sarah sat up and nodded. "I need some blood, please," she requested. "Then after I have it, would you mind helping me out to the living room? I haven't been out of this room for a while and it's beginning to make me go nuts like the lady in that 'Yellow Wallpaper' story."

"All right," Junior nodded. "I don't see any harm in that."

"I don't know why you would," Sarah told him. "If I say that I want to go out, and I feel well enough to do so, I don't see it being a problem."

"I just don't want you to hurt yourself or anything," Junior tried to explain.

"'Hurt myself'?" Sarah asked in amazement. "Why would you even think that would be an issue?"

"Well, I don't know!" Junior shouted.

"Just get me my blood, will you, please?" Sarah asked as she sighed and pushed her hair back from her face. This conversation alone was beginning to wear her out. He got her the blood and insisted on watching her drink it before he led her out to the sofa.

"I tried to carry her, but she wouldn't let me," Junior explained.

"Well, that's because I'm perfectly capable of walking!" Sarah sighed. "I'm not fat enough to waddle yet and it's not like my legs are broken."

"I was just trying to help," Junior snapped. "Why are you so intent on starting a fight with me? I was hoping that our reunion would be a nice one."

"And it still _could_ be!" Sarah told him. "Why is it my fault that we're having this fight? Why are you heaping all the blame on me, you big jerk? You're the one who went off on some wild crazy adventure and left me all alone! What would you have expected me to do if you hadn't come back? Answer me that."

"Well, you would have been taken care of," Junior told her. "But the point is that I _did_ come back."

"I don't want you going out again," Sarah told him firmly. "You're gonna stay here with me."

"You know I would love to," Junior replied and stroked her face before giving her a kiss. "But there's also this thing I have to do with Malachai-"

"No, you don't!" Sarah shouted. "You don't have to do that. You chose to! That's more important to you than I am!"

Junior shut his eyes. "You know, you're right," he told her. "I'm being thoughtless and I'm sorry."

"Thank you!" Sarah said and took a deep, calming breath. "Now sit next to me, please, so I can give you a hug."

Junior sat down next to her and gave her a hug before standing up and saying, "I have to go pick up something at my parents' but I'll come right back."

"I'm coming with you," Sarah said decisively. "Let's go."

* * *

Junior groaned and then zapped them both to his room at his parents,' stopping cold at the sight of the strange young man on his bed looking through his pictures, and urging Sarah to stay in the hallway and out of sight until he came back out

"Why?" Sarah asked.

"There's a strange guy on my bed," Junior explained as Sarah tried to get a peek herself. "He could be dangerous."

"Fine, I'll stay," Sarah agreed. "Just don't take too long."

Junior nodded and then went into his room. "Hello," he said to the young man. "Who are you and why do you have your fingers all over my stuff? That's private."

"Hello, brother," said the young man, finally looking up from the photos to meet Junior's eye. "I'm Christian. You must be Sean."

"Yeah," Junior nodded. "What's it to you? When you say you're my brother, is it from… _him_? The man who fathered me and who I hate with every fiber of my being?"

"How can you hate him?" Christian asked of the brother who he knew his father prized so highly, much more than Christian himself.

"He won't let me have a life of my own!" Junior replied. "I have to do exactly what he says and see who he says. Or not see who he says."

"Oh," Christian picked up a stack of photos that were beside him on the bed. "Are you trying to tell me that Father has issues with this girl? Is this Sarah?"

"Yes!" Junior snapped and snatched them out of Christian's hands. "Don't you look at those! They're private!"

"Do you love her?" Christian asked. "This girl, I mean?"

"I'm not telling you!" Junior shook his head. "Anyone who has anything to do with John I don't trust."

"Fine," Christian said, getting in Junior's face. "If you won't tell me that you love her, she must not matter to you. I'm feeling angry. I just might kill her." He grabbed another picture, a family photo of Liam, Mary, and Junior that made him twitch with envy. "Or I could kill your mother. Which would you prefer?"

"I would prefer that you don't kill either of them because they both mean a lot to me," Junior told him firmly. "Don't you have anyone like that? Who you love so much that you would do anything for them? Protect them? Keep them close to you all the time?"

Although Christian was feeling very angry and was determined to hold on to that and not let his brother see that he had a soft side, Junior mentioning him loving someone made him think of Jill and, just for a moment, his control slipped. Junior saw that there was some semblance of a caring nature in his brother and he was quick to jump on that.

"I think I'm right about you loving someone," he told him. "And that's not a bad thing. That's a good thing. I'm happy for you. And I also think that the person you love is the reason why, no matter how tough you talk, you won't actually go through with killing anyone close to me." He got in his face. "I'm right about that, aren't I?"

Christian didn't answer, but instead glared at his brother and gave him a little push so there was space between them. Then he said, "All right. Maybe there is. But that's none of your business."

"Don't worry," Junior put his hands up and backed out of the room. "I wasn't gonna ask for details. Now would you mind getting out of my room, please?"

"Fine," Christian sighed. "There's nothing else worth looking at here anyway."

When he was gone, Junior called for Sarah to come in and he put his arms around her. "Who was that guy?" She asked. "Did I hear him say he was your brother?"

"Yep, he's my brother," Junior confirmed. "Aren't I lucky?"

"Yeah," Sarah nodded. "You really are. Can we go home now?"

"Let me get what I came for, because with my brother around, I got distracted," he told her and went in to grab his toothbrush and toothpaste because he'd used up the travel-sized extras he'd brought on the trip with him. Then he said, "All right, Sarah. We can go home now and get you that blood you said you needed."

"Good," Sarah nodded. "Cause I need it even _more_ now." She paused. "Or we could just go back into your room and I could take it from you. That would be quicker. Do you mind?"

Junior looked into Sarah's big brown eyes. "All right," he said and pulled her into the room, sitting her down on the bed and offering her his bare neck. "Go ahead."

"Thank you," she told him, then put her arms around him as her fangs lengthened and she stuck them in his skin, holding him tight until she'd had her fill, detached herself, and they were able to head back to his uncle's.

* * *

"How much longer do we have to walk?" Leslie asked as Patrick pulled her along behind him and then finally told her to hop on his back so he could carry her piggyback. "I'm tired!"

"Oh, you're not the only one," Todd said irritably. "We all are, but the long walk and complete lack of direction is a small price to pay for getting out of that damn warehouse. I've never been so pleased to breathe in fresh air before."

Since their release, they'd been following nothing but their own instinct (and a potential address for a safe house shouted about by John when he was yelling at one of the guards and didn't think they were listening) for more days than they would have preferred when it came to looking for a place to stay. Finally, when they all felt like they were going to pass out from exhaustion, Caleb found Malachai's house.

"I have a good feeling about this place," he said. "Let's see if they'll let us in. And it has the address that we heard."

"Are you crazy?" Leslie wanted to know. "We can't just knock on some stranger's door and ask them to take us in! What if they're weirdos or perverts or something?"

"If they are, we can just zap them away and take possession of the house for ourselves," Todd said. "Is that all right with everyone?"

"Well, what other choice do we have?" Patrick asked. "Go ahead and do it."

So Todd knocked and when the door opened, Leslie let out a scream.

"My god," Helene said, a hand on her heart. "Are you all right?"

"We've been walking a long time and we just…this is gonna sound crazy, but can we come in and stay for a little while?" Patrick asked. "Maybe have something to eat? We're not dangerous or crazy, we promise."

"Are you?" Todd asked, his eyes narrowing as he stared at Helene.

"No, I…I'm not, I promise," Helene assured him as she let them in. "Can I ask why you've been walking for so long?"

"We were kidnapped by a very bad man who hates our birth father," Leslie explained. "We're all half-siblings with the same father, who apparently wants to use us to defeat evil."

"And are you the result of sperm donation?" Helene asked as she brought them all drinks.

"How do you know that?" Caleb asked.

"Cause my husband is your father," Helene explained. "And you're not the first kids to come here saying what you're saying. Do you want to meet him?"

"Okay," Patrick agreed. "Why not?"

Helene got to her feet and was prepared to go fetch Malachai when he came into the room, a shocked look on his face. "They're here, aren't they?" He asked her. "The rest of the children from my coven are here. They managed to escape John's confinement."

"Actually, his son let us out," Caleb explained. "Wanted to take some sort of vengeance on the old man so he set us free."

"Ah," Malachai nodded. "Well, whatever way it happened, it's good that you're here. Now I can make more long-term plans."

"Plans for what?" Leslie asked.

"You'll see," Malachai told her. "Now, after you've drunk and eaten, why don't we find you places to sleep?"

"You're gonna let us stay here with you when we just showed up without any sort of invitation?" Todd asked. He definitely hadn't been expecting that."

"Of course," Malachai replied easily. "Do you have anywhere else to go? Cause if you do, I would be more than happy to let you stay at the place of your choice."

"No, we'll stay here," Leslie told him. "Thank you so much!"

"You're welcome," Malachai replied. Then he went over to Helene and kissed her. "And thank you for taking this so well. I'm very grateful."

"Well, it's really no trouble," Helene replied, trying not to sound surprised. "I'm actually quite used to it now. Is that all of them?"

"Yes," Malachai assured her. "All thirteen accounted for. I promise there won't be any more."

"All right," Helene let out a breath and sat down on the sofa. "That's good to hear. Cause once all of them have settled in here, we won't have any more rooms left. Annie and Jill moved out just in time, didn't they?"


	52. Where Everybody Knows Their Name

"Well, look who showed up?" Roxie remarked as her mother came into the bar, followed by Anna. "How are you two?"

"Why do you always act surprised when I show up?" Selina asked and sat down. "I love it here."

"But you know that Uncle Elijah doesn't," Roxie reminded her.

"True," Selina nodded. "Every full moon night, your uncle asks me if we're gonna go to 'that zoo that Roxanne runs'." She rolled her eyes. "You know, he'll only come here if your dad tricks him into it."

"I can't believe he's still critical of this place," Roxie huffed. "You would think that he'd give me credit for running my own successful business at least. Doesn't that mean something to him?"

"Oh, I'm sure it does," Selina assured her and Klaus' eldest daughter. "He's just not good with his feelings."

"Nope," Anna concurred. "He takes after our father that way. Kind of unfortunate, really."

"Oh, well," Roxie shrugged. "What can I get you two?"

"Give them that new drink I made up for you yesterday," Roxie's husband Vince encouraged her as he came from one of the storage rooms with full bottles of vodka and rum and put them on the shelves while Roxie turned for a moment to get a good view of the back of him like she always did when he was restocking the alcohol. "I think they'd like it. I thought it was brilliant and you know there aren't many regulars we can give it to."

"Okay, now I'm intrigued," Anna told her niece as Vince finished and Roxie turned back around to face them. "What is it?"

"It's called a bloody Shirley," Roxie explained. "A Shirley Temple with blood mixed in."

"So no alcohol?" Anna clarified. "I might have to take a pass on that. How about a Tequila Sunrise for me, please?"

"I'll give it a shot," Selina volunteered as Anna got her drink, abandoned her stool and headed for the pool room. "It's something your uncle would probably _love_ me to have since it's got no alcohol and probably a measured level of blood, right?"

"Yep," Roxie nodded. "Exactly. That's one of the reasons why Vince made it up; He thought it would be good for you."

"How sweet of him," Selina smiled and took the drink Roxie offered her, then took a long pull and grinned with satisfaction. "You know that is not bad at all."

"Yeah, I know," Roxie agreed. "I didn't think so either."

Selina took another drink and said, "Have you heard from Sam lately? Has he called you and said anything about wanting to come and play here for a few days or so? Cause I haven't heard anything from him and when I don't, it makes me nervous." Sam was her and Damon's younger son, and as he was a chance for her to finish what she'd not gotten to in her human life (being a mother to a Salvatore son) she had a special spot in her heart for him, even though she was no longer with his father.

"Well, I haven't heard from Sam _specifically_ , but I've heard from Addie, and based on what Addie's told me, I know why you probably haven't heard from Sam," Roxie explained. "Apparently, the two of them have decided to go their separate ways."

"Oh, no!" Selina sighed. "What caused it? Sam seems to have gotten his father's charm. I hope there was no wandering eye happening."

"No, I don't think it was anything like that," Roxie assured her. "I think they just grew apart."

"Well, that happens," Selina mused. "But I have no doubt he'll get right back on the horse and so will Addison."

"Oh, I have no doubt," Roxie agreed. "Joey and Diana are already trying to set her up with one of their werewolf friends. Apparently they were never too fond of her relationship with Sam in the first place."

"Good," Selina nodded. "But what's wrong with Sam? What have they got against him?"

"Well, I think Joey never quite got over the idea that he would break Addie's heart someday, so he always was a bit suspicious," Roxie replied. "Sammy's reputation with the ladies precedes him." Roxie smiled at how committed her twins were to each other.

Selina grinned and nodded at this. "But that's to be expected when you remember who his dad is. But Sammy's more like my uncle Andrew overall: a bit of a rake, but when he decides to commit to someone, he really does commit. And Damon would have too, if things hadn't gotten screwed up."

"You think?" Roxie asked.

"Well, of course!" Selina nodded. "But then I wouldn't have met your dad or your uncle, so things worked out for the best, I think. And the same can be said of Sam and Addie and wherever they choose to go from here."

"That will be interesting to see," Roxie said. "I can't wait. Oh, and Sam comes to sing in a few days. You gonna be here?"

"Yeah," Selina smiled. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."

* * *

"How're you doing?" Percy asked Leslie one afternoon a few days later. "Does it feel good to finally take a breath after all you've been through?"

"Oh, definitely," Leslie agreed. "Nice to have a roof over my head and clean sheets." She looked around. "This is a surprisingly nice house. Not as big as the one I grew up in, but not small, either."

"Yeah," Percy agreed. "It's a nice home." He then excused himself to go answer the door, and Leslie followed him, watching as Stephanie strode in. "Hey!" She greeted. "Are you Percy's new sister? He's talked about having a new sister."

"Yep," Leslie nodded and pushed a strand of blonde hair out of her face. "That's me."

"It sounds like you've been through a lot," Stephanie told her. "You wanna go have a drink or something?"

"What sort of a place would serve someone our age?" Leslie questioned. "The second we get carded for most places, they'd throw us out."

"My sister/cousin has a place," Stephanie told her. "Very loose alcohol policy. Lots of fun. Wanna go?"

"Sure, why not?" Leslie replied, curious about how Stephanie had termed her relationship to the bar owner, but feeling it would be presumptuous to ask for an explanation when she'd only just met Stephanie. "Let's go." She looked at Percy. "You coming too?"

"Yeah," Percy nodded. "Why not?"

* * *

"It's about time you let me take you here again," Adrian told Kai as they headed into Roxie's. "I thought you would be so busy being a slave to that one guy that I'd never see you."

"Oh, I did him a favor, so he lengthened the leash a bit and let me have some time to myself," Kai told him. "It won't happen all the time, but on occasion."

"Hey, Champ," Adrian yelled at his sister and pounded on the bar. "Couple of beers for me and my friend, please?"

"Coming right up," Roxie told him, her blue eyes bright. "Although if you wouldn't have said 'Please', I wouldn't have given them to you until you had."

"To us," Adrian said as he and Kai clinked bottles.

"And to my impending fatherhood," Kai added. "Whenever Vicky and I find the time to make our next baby, that is." He paused. "And I need you to assure me right now that you won't fall in love with that kid."

"I can't make any promises," Adrian replied jokingly. "But I'm pretty sure Molly is it for me."

"Good," Kai nodded. "Then I won't have to beat the crap out of you."

It was then that the entertainment began for the day, the audience erupting in cheers as Sam Salvatore strode onto the stage, wincing and blushing when he realized that, as usual, the loudest cheers were coming from his mother.

"Thanks for the encouragement, Mom," he told Selina. "But you can relax now, all right?"

"Okay," Selina replied, but she was still grinning broadly. "Sorry, sweetie!"

Leslie and the others arrived just in time to hear the exchange between mother and son and she chuckled to herself. How embarrassing. She was glad she wasn't in his place.

When his set was over, she'd left her stool at the bar to go to the bathroom, and when she returned, she found him sitting in her seat and drinking her drink. "Hey!" She cried and tried to snatch it away. "That's mine! Give it back!"

He looked her over. "You can't be more than eighteen, can you? You shouldn't be drinking. I'm doing you a favor, princess. And while we're talking, what's a nice girl like you doing in a bar like this?"

"Oh, spare me your lines," she told him and gave him a push that sent him tumbling from his bar stool. She used her magic to whisk the drink away from him so that the glass wouldn't break when he hit the floor, and by the time he got to his feet, she was happily drinking it again, only pausing as he brushed off his bare knees to say, "You gonna go have your mommy kiss your boo-boo now? It'll be easy for her in those ratty, awful jeans you're wearing. Can't you afford anything better than that?"

"Oh, I could," he assured her. "I just like dressing like this better." He then reached out and ripped the long sleeves off her shirt so her arms were exposed. "You know, ripped clothes don't look so bad on you either," He complimented, a wicked grin on his lips and his blue eyes sparkling.

"Okay, okay you two," Roxie broke in before Leslie could spit out a scathing retort. "Let's be nice, shall we?"

"He started it," Leslie pointed out. "Would you tell him that he shouldn't be stealing people's drinks or destroying their clothes?"

"I think you just did," Roxie replied as Leslie tried to ignore everyone staring. "I don't think I need to."

"You know, I think I'll dedicate my next song to you," Sam told her. "I guess I was unnecessarily harsh."

"Well, thank you for admitting that," Leslie told him. "It's very big of you."

"It's my pleasure," Sam smiled. "I can't wait to see the look on your face."

He went back to the stage and then said to the crowd, "All right, we're gonna start out the second part of the set with something a little different. It's not something we've ever rehearsed, but I'm feeling inspired." He turned to look at the band. "So you guys can take five, all right?"

After the band retired, he began singing an acapella version of "Rich Girl" by Hall and Oates, but mid-song, a very pissed off Leslie strode up to him, snatched the microphone away, and began her own (somewhat tone deaf) version of Carly Simon's "You're So Vain." They kept singing the different songs at the same time, louder and louder, until they finally both ended at the same time and the room burst into applause while Sam and Leslie looked on in stunned silence. They'd been so worked up with each other that they'd completely forgotten about the audience.

"What just happened?" Sam asked as he and Leslie approached a very amused Roxie.

"Yeah," Leslie added as Stephanie and Percy came toward her. "What happened?"

"I think you two are a hit," Roxie smiled. "Can you both come and sing again tomorrow?"


	53. Sparring Partners

"I can't believe we're actually doing this," Leslie said to Sam as they both stood outside of Roxie's. "It's crazy."

"I know," Sam replied. "And I want you to know that I don't normally act like I did yesterday. Normally I'm better-behaved. And if we're gonna be working together, you better be too."

"Well, what entitles you to be so bossy?" Leslie wanted to know.

"I have a good reputation as a singer and I don't want it ruined by being associated with someone who's so immature," Sam informed her.

Leslie narrowed her eyes. "I don't like being insulted," she told him. "Especially by people who have never formally introduced themselves to me."

"I'm Sam," Sam told her without offering her his hand. "And what's your name, as long as we're sharing?"

"Leslie," Leslie told him.

"All right, Leslie," Sam told her. "Let's get something straight: I'm just doing this as a favor to my sister, okay? I don't really need another singer with me and especially after this mess with Addison, I have learned how much I like working alone. So…we'll do whatever gigs Roxie wants us to do, then go our separate ways. All right?"

"Fine!" Leslie spat. "Works for me!"

They crowded one another into the bar and as Roxie watched them approach her, she sucked in her breath and sad, "You two really don't get along, do you?"

"Well, I mean look at her," Sam huffed. "Look at how she's dressed. All nice and perfect and ritzy. Damn it, she's like Lucy!"

"Who's Lucy?" Leslie asked. "Is she someone who's nicer than you? Maybe I ought to meet her sometime."

"Lucy is our sister," Roxie explained. "For the most part, she's uptight and pretentious. You might like her."

"And she's dating my father," Sam huffed.

"Oh, they broke up," Roxie informed him. "You knew that. You complained to me about how his new girlfriend was someone he'd just picked up off the street and is a big pain in the butt, remember? She's interested in some guy she's teaching art to now, but she won't tell me how far along the relationship is. Every time I ask, she just hisses at me and tells me to mind my own business."

"That's a relief that she's moved on," Sam said and sat down on a bar stool. "I might start visiting Dad on a regular basis now that things will be less awkward." He paused. "Although Dad with any woman is kind of awkward. Well, except for Mom, that is."

"Can I ask you something?" Leslie wanted to know.

"No," Sam said, his voice flat.

"Did you say that your dad is dating your sister?" Leslie got out. "How screwed up is that? What sort of messed up family are you part of?"

"It's perfectly fine for his dad to date his sister because they only have a mother in common, not a father," Roxie explained. "They're half-siblings."

"Ah," Leslie nodded. "That doesn't make it entirely not weird, but it's a little better, I guess."

Sam rolled his eyes and turned back to Roxie. "Listening to my associate yammer on for no reason just reminded me why we came in here in the first place: did you say that you have some sort of contract drawn up for the gigs you want the two of us to do here? Let's sign that thing and then I won't have to be around her anymore except for when we're singing."

"You know, you're no prize either," Leslie scoffed and stole the pen from him just as he was preparing to sign his name, signing hers on the contract first and then striding to the door, pausing before leaving to say, "May the hours that we have until our performances stretch on interminably because never seeing you again would be too soon for me." She then stuck her tongue out at him and left the bar.

"She should really write poetry," Roxie remarked. "That sounded like poetry, don't you think?"

"I don't know," Sam shrugged. "You know I don't read crap like that."

"True," Roxie nodded. "How could I forget?" She paused. "You wanna know more family news?"

"Sure," Sam nodded. "Anything interesting?"

"Well, our brother Drew got married," Roxie supplied. "Ran off to Vegas in the middle of a school day with his girlfriend who just happens to be a witch. Uncle Elijah didn't find out about it until after it was over and done with and when he was told, he passed out."

Sam laughed when he heard this. "Granted I don't spend a lot of time with my half-siblings cause we both know that based on who my father is, I'm not really welcome among them, but…I think Drew's my new hero. Mom took it well?"

"Of course!" Roxie nodded. "She cheered him on and made him a cake because part of the reason for the elopement was because he wanted to help his now-wife out of an arranged marriage. And you know how Mom feels about arranged marriages."

"Oh, yes," Sam nodded. "I know that all too well."

Roxie poured a glass of bourbon for him and then said, "Thanks for singing with Leslie even though you don't like her that much."

"Oh, it's my pleasure," Sam told her. "It's not like it's gonna be forever, right?" He sat and drank his drink and put it down just as Roxie's husband Vince came down to the main floor from the rooms above where he'd been checking the plumbing, put his arms around Roxie, kissed her hair, and gave Sam a smile. "That was some performance you gave yesterday," he remarked. "Was it planned?"

"No," Sam shook his head. "I never even saw that girl before yesterday. I don't know what her problem was."

"And yet, they've agreed to do some performances for us here because they know they brought the house down," Roxie added. Then she looked at Sam fondly. "You know, you really are a good brother."

"Yeah, you just keep remembering that," Sam replied. "Cause I might need a favor someday, and when I do, I intend to collect."

"Well, that sounds ominous," Roxie told him. "Not that I have a problem with shady stuff."

"Oh, relax," Sam smiled and headed over to the pool table. "I was just teasing."

"Yeah," Roxie nodded. "I knew that. You didn't have to tell me. You just gonna stay here all day?"

"Maybe," Sam replied. "That's not a problem is it?"

"No," Roxie shook her head. "It's fine with me. Knock yourself out."

* * *

"Hey, Vicky," Kai told her and took her in his arms before he even closed their front door. "Miss me?"

"Well, of course," Victoria paused as he kissed her. "But what are you doing here? Does…does James know?"

Kai heard this and chuckled. "I've been sneaking out from under his nose for a while now. Why everyone is always so afraid of him, I have no idea."

"Just be careful," Victoria chided. "You made a deal for us to have a kid and you won't be able to get me pregnant if you're in jail or dead."

"I could still do it if I was in jail," Kai protested. "Ever hear of a conjugal visit?"

"Well, whatever," Victoria shrugged. "Are we gonna do this or what?"

Kai just chuckled. "So romantic, Vicky. You're lucky I'm not the sort of man who has to be wooed because you're doing a terrible job."

Victoria zapped herself into a red negligee and began nibbling on his ear. "Better?" She whispered.

"Yes," Kai nodded. "You're getting there."

She kissed him deeply, biting his bottom lip as she pulled away and then gently licked the blood up with her tongue before grabbing his hand and leading him to their bedroom, sliding off her panties and kicking them aside before ripping off his shirt, pulling both his boxers and his pants down to his ankles and then rubbed up against him for a bit before she felt him slip inside her. He pulled her close until there was no space between them and then pushed into her over and over.

"Now who's not wasting time on foreplay?" Victoria smiled.

"Well, like you say, I can't be gone long," Kai reminded her. "I have to get back to my keepers before they barge in here and find me in a very embarrassing position."

"Oh, what are you talking about?" Victoria chuckled and ran her fingers through his hair. "You would _love_ to see the look on James' face if he caught us like this. It would make your day. Admit it."

"Yeah, okay," Kai admitted, his eyes twinkling. "That would be hilarious." He pushed into her a few more times, then gently detached himself and pulled his pants up. "Next time I get out, we'll do this on a bed," He promised, grabbing her and kissing her one more time. "I swear."

"Oh, I know," Victoria agreed. "I'm holding you to it. And if you don't get out, I'm gonna either kidnap you, or come to James' house and we can do it in his bed like we did In John's at John and Freya's ball." She gave him a wink.

"I love you so much right now," Kai told her. "Well, I love you all the time, but especially right now."

"You better," Victoria smiled as he gave her one last kiss, promised to call her that night, and then went on his way.

* * *

"So I hear you and Dad broke up," Sam said when Lucy let him into her apartment.

"Yeah, we did," Lucy nodded. "And I've been waiting for you to show up and be over the moon about it ever since."

"Hey, don't be that way," Sam told her, feeling offended, his blue eyes darkening a little. "I might feel weird about you guys being a couple because you're my sister and my father, but I want you to be happy. And Addie and I went our separate ways too, so I feel your pain."

"How did that happen?" Lucy asked. "Did your wandering eye finally become too much for her?"

"No!" Sam shook his head. "With touring and all, we realized that there wasn't as much time for us to be a couple as we felt there should be. We tried to squeeze in more time to be a couple, but it just led to more stress so we ended things."

"Ah," Lucy nodded. "Okay, I'm sorry."

"It's all right," Sam assured her. "Roxie and Mom blamed my wandering eye at first too." He paused and looked around. "So you're still doing your art thing. Good for you. It's great you're not letting your talent go to waste."

"Thanks, but…" Lucy smiled as she looked around the kitchen. "These pictures aren't mine. They were painted by one of my art students. William McCullough. As you can see, he's got skills."

"Yeah, he really does," Sam agreed. "What's he like? One of those tortured artist types?"

"No, not really," Lucy replied. "Not anymore, anyway. He has this thing where he shoots fire everywhere when he gets agitated, but we've been working with his grandfather Alistair to help him control that problem. And the painting gives him an emotional outlet that helps too."

They then heard the doorbell ring and a voice call out, "Lucy? Are you home?"

"Yes, William!" Lucy called back. "We're in the kitchen."

"'We're'?" The dark-eyed young man repeated as he appeared right next to Sam and the whole room became warm. "Excuse me. Who are you?" He looked at Lucy. "I thought you said that you were dumping Damon."

"I did," Lucy nodded. "This is my brother Sam. Damon's his father. He's visiting for a while."

"Oh," William nodded, took a few deep breaths, and the room began to cool. "All right then." He patted Sam on the shoulder. "Sorry about that. Nice to meet you."

"Charmed, I'm sure," Sam replied, wondering how he should feel about this young man who so clearly had something against his father. "I was just telling Lucy that I really enjoy all your work."

"You do?" William smiled. "Well thanks! You paint?"

"No, I do music," Sam replied and stuck out his hand. "Sam Salvatore. Maybe you've heard of my band, maybe you haven't." He paused and looked at his sister. "You have one of the band's CDs, don't you?"

"Yeah," Lucy nodded. "He's heard it."

William's eyes widened. "You mean _he's_ the singer of the songs you play when we paint? He's so good!"

"Thanks," Sam smiled. "Always nice to meet a fan. I have a gig at Roxie's tonight with a girl I despise as a co-star. You two wanna come? I can use all the moral support I can get." He paused. "Or do you hate Roxie's just like your uncle does?"

"No, I don't hate it," Lucy shook her head and mussed her short blonde hair to get it out of her eyes. "I think it's fun sometimes."

"So you'll be there?" Sam smiled. "Please?"

"Oh, all right," Lucy smiled back. "See you there. I actually have to drop off one of my paintings that Roxie wanted to put behind the bar anyway. It's perfect timing."

"Yeah," Sam agreed. "I guess it is."

* * *

"Well, look at that," Roxie cried loudly as William and Lucy entered the bar. "My sister has come to my bar and she's wearing leather. I never thought I'd see the day."

There were several whistles that followed Lucy as she approached her sister and asked William who was walking behind her, to please place the painting on the bar. "Thanks for that," she said to Roxie after. "You know how much I enjoy attention when I enter a room. All I wanted was to have a drink and enjoy the show. Gin and tonic, please."

"And a glass of whiskey for me, please," William added.

"Oh, come on," Roxie told her sister as she made up their drinks. "Every once in a while, it's good for you." She looked between William and Lucy. "Unless you two are a thing and you're already getting attention from him."

They looked at one another and shook their heads. They'd bounced back and forth on this question several times, and although he'd probably seen her naked enough times for painting purposes that most people would consider them a couple, she still wasn't sure. "We're working on that, but nothing's definite," she confessed, flushing a little.

She was saved from having to explain more by Sam and Leslie coming onto the stage to begin their set.

Despite Sam and Leslie's animosity off stage, their singing was just as good as it had been the night before. Their vocals blended nicely on "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" and a couple other duets, Leslie brought the house down with "I Hate Myself for Loving You," and Sam brought everyone to their feet as he ended the show with a soulful "Goodbye, Yellow Brick Road." Everyone was cheering as they headed off the stage and Leslie muttered, "Damn, they still like us."

"I know," Sam nodded. "I can't believe they didn't pick up on how flat you were on some of those songs. Especially that first duet. Kiki Dee would be ashamed."

"Yeah, well your voice cracked during "Goodbye, Yellow Brick Road,"Leslie told him. "I could hit those notes better. I'm taking it next time."

"Says you," Sam told her. "I'm not letting a newbie take my finale!"

"How about we both do a version and see which one the audience likes best, and then whoever gets more applause gets to sing it?" Leslie put forth.

"Oh, no," Sam shook his head. "It's my finale. End of story. Go get your own songs and stop thinking that you can steal mine. I sing it perfectly and you can't do better."

"We'll just see about that tomorrow, won't we?" Leslie smiled and then turned to head for her car. "Goodnight, Sam."

"Goodnight," Sam mumbled, not even looking at her as she left the bar and grinning as he heard the slam of the door to indicate that she'd left the building. Now he could enjoy his drink in peace. It was about time.


	54. The Outside Boy Comes In

It was just before the finale of Sam and Leslie's next show (although the contract had originally been for just one show, Roxie, after much prodding, had convinced them to continue.) As usual, she had been blathering on and on about singing "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" herself, but also as usual, he vetoed that. "It's my song," he said for what seemed like the five thousandth time. "I'm gonna sing it." As he took time to brush his hair one more time, change his shirt, and then wipe the sweat from his brow, he turned as he heard the door of the room he was cleaning up in click. Then he heard, "Bye, Sammy! I'm gonna go do the finale now!"

"Oh, fuck!" He whispered to himself at the sound of Leslie's voice. He tried to let himself out, but he'd been locked in, and as he pounded on the door to free himself, he heard her announce to the crowd that he'd been detained, and then she began singing the finale. Solo.

"Fuck you!" He shouted at nothing. "Fuck you!" He continued to pound on the door until, panting heavily, he fell to the floor. A few seconds later, the door opened and he heard Roxie say, "What in the hell is going on here—Sam? What are you doing in here?"

"Leslie locked me in here so she could sing the finale herself," Sam replied as he got to his feet. "Do you realize the crazy woman you've set me up with?"

"You don't have to date her," Roxie told him. "But I suppose that with this going on, I can't make you sing with her anymore either, even though people love you. That would be a cruel thing to do to family."

"You're damn right it would," Sam strode out of the room. "I need a drink."

Leslie met him as soon as he sat down with his drink and said, "Did you hear me? I did a great job with the finale, didn't I?"

"I couldn't really hear much from the room you locked me in," Sam spat. "You are unbelievable, you know it? And not in a particularly flattering way."

"Well, if you'd just let me sing it once before this, I wouldn't have had to be so underhanded," Jill told him. She then sighed and looked at Roxie. "Can I have my own act? If I keep being with him, my terrible behavior will continue."

"Don't give her that!" Sam protested. "She's an interloper! You know she wouldn't get anywhere without me!"

"Oh, my god!" Roxie shouted. "Enough! All right, I get it! You two singing together is a terrible idea. I won't make you do it anymore. You, of course, will stay on, Sam, and you, Leslie…come to the next open mike night and do a few songs so I can gauge how an audience reacts to you and then I'll see if it would be worth giving you an act on your own."

"But didn't you just hear me sing the finale?" Leslie cried. "People love me!"

"Going on just one incidence is too much of a gamble," Roxie told her firmly. "I need more information, okay? Now, you can play along and have a chance at a full-time gig, or you can refuse and not get one. It's your choice."

"Fine," Leslie sighed and Sam snickered. "Whatever." She began to walk away, her plan to piss Sam off by being a competing singer ruined (that was the only reason why she'd pushed so hard for the position; outside of him, she couldn't have cared less about this little hole in the wall establishment) and then strode back to the bar and pulled some money out of her pocket, pushing it at Roxie. "There's more where this came from if you just give me the gig," she whispered.

Roxie stared at her for a moment and then burst out laughing. "Seriously? Are you seriously trying to _bribe_ me into giving you a job?"

"It's always worked for my father," Leslie shrugged and put more money in the pile. "And can you really afford to turn it down? A bar like this surely doesn't pull in a large amount of money."

"But the thing is that this bar is a hobby for my sister," Sam told her. "She has enough money to live on comfortably. All she gets from this enterprise is just extra."

"Oh," Leslie replied and then tried to take the money back, but Roxie snatched it away with a grin on her face.

"I'll take this," she said and gleefully counted the bills. "And I'll put it to good use. Thanks for the help."

Leslie growled and zapped herself out of the bar. She was getting _really_ tired of this stupid place.

Sam watched her go and then just before she was out the door, he ran to catch up with her. "I don't see why you're so worked up about not getting a job here. You hate places like this."

"True," Leslie replied. "But what kind of world is this when you're above me? When I'm the one with the money and the prominence, and here, someone poor like you matters more? I just want to take back my rightful place in the world!"

"And you can do that," Sam told her. "You can be as valued a person here as I am if you show Roxie that you're worth it. You're not gonna just get the job handed to you by throwing money at it."

"Why not?" Leslie whined.

"Cause it doesn't always work that way," Sam replied. "Sometimes you have to work your ass off and earn it. Is it worth it to you?"

"No," Leslie pouted. "It's really not. I can do much better."

"I'm sure you can," Sam told her. "And good luck to you. We won't miss you here."

"I hate you," Leslie spat and then stormed out of the bar, slamming the door behind her as Sam chuckled and went back to sit down with his drink.

* * *

As Sam rested in between shows, another young man came into the bar and sat next to him. "Hi," he said. "Do you mind if I sit here? I can move."

"No, it's fine," Sam replied. "Sit where you want." He looked the young man over, smirking at his tan cargo pants and blue polo shirt. "Nice outfit. Do you always dress like that when you go out drinking?"

"I actually don't drink very much," the young man told him. "But I'm having some problems at home and since my sister owns this place, I thought it would be a good place to come."

"What?" Sam asked.

"Sam, this is Drew," Roxie told him. "Drew, this is Sam. Another one of our many siblings."

"Same mom?" Sam asked knowingly.

"Yep," Roxie nodded. "Exactly. Mom and Uncle Elijah's youngest. Or one of their youngest."

"Who are you?" Drew asked Sam. "I've never seen you before."

"It's cause your father doesn't like to hear about Mom's relationship with my father," Sam explained. "Or me."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Drew apologized. "He can be a pain in the butt sometimes. Like right now."

"What's going on?" Roxie sighed and quickly whipped up the biggest and most potent drink she could think of and putting it in front of her brother. "What's Uncle Elijah fussing about now?"

Drew sighed. "My girlfriend was put in an arranged marriage by her stupid parents and to save her from it, I proposed that we should go to Vegas and get married behind their backs. Since it was such an urgent situation, I didn't tell Mom and Dad ahead of time because I knew that Dad would disapprove and stop us, and boy was I right!"

"I bet Mom's got your back, though," Sam said, feeling a pang of sympathy for his brother. "I think you did a very nice thing. Your new wife's a lucky woman."

"Thanks," Drew smiled. "I knew if I came here, I would finally be around people who saw what I did in a more positive light." He paused and then said to Sam, "You wanna come visit sometime? I can't make Dad any madder at me than he is right now, and I'm sure Mom would be glad to see you."

"Sure!" Sam smiled. "I would love to. Thanks!"

"You're welcome," Drew replied. And when he noticed that Sam's glass was empty, he said, "Can I buy you another drink?"

"I wouldn't say 'No'," Sam replied with a grin as he pushed his empty glass toward Roxie and then put his arm around Drew. "You know, kid, I really like you."

* * *

"Why weren't you around for the finale of the first show? Why did you do the rest of them by yourself?" Damon asked as he and Annie drove Sam home with them for the night. "That Leslie girl you sing with said you weren't feeling well, but you're a vampire, so what's the real reason? Stage fright?"

"No, she locked me in the damn dressing room," Sam huffed. "And she's a witch, you know, so she probably put a spell on the door." He scoffed. "What a bitch."

"Hey!" Annie warned him. "That's my sister you're talking about."

"Oh, so even though she's mean to me, I can't say anything about it because she's your sister?" Sam sighed. "Dad, why do you always have to pick girlfriends who can't keep their noses out of my private business?"

"Annie, let's just not talk to Sam for the rest of the night, all right?" Damon tried to reason with her.

"Fine," Annie huffed. "But if you're always gonna take his side because he's your son, let me know now so I can be absolutely sure of where your loyalties lie."

"My loyalties lie with whoever won't give me a giant headache," Damon told her. "It's not that hard to figure out."

They got home and then Sam quickly showered and changed his clothes before wishing his father and Annie a good night.

"Where are you going?" Damon asked. "Back to the bar?"

"No, I'm actually going to visit Mom," Sam explained.

"Does she know you're coming?" Damon asked. "I don't want you to get thrown out."

"Oh, don't worry about that," Sam assured him. "I was invited. Elijah won't be able to do anything to me."

"All right," Damon told him skeptically. "But please, watch your back."

"I will," Sam assured him. "I promise."

* * *

"Sam?" Selina cried in shock when she opened the front door to Sam's knock and pulled her son tightly in her arms. "Sam, I'm so glad to see you! What are you doing here?"

"I met Drew at Roxie's and he invited me," Sam explained. "That's okay, right?"

"Of course it's okay!" Selina smiled. "Come in, come in!" She led him to the living room and called for Drew.

"Well, there you are!" Drew said and gave Sam a hug just like Selina had, only not as tight. "I didn't expect to see you so soon."

"Dad's new girlfriend and I have issues," Sam explained. "So I thought I would let him have a night of peace and quiet and come here instead."

"Works for me!" Drew smiled.

"Who was at the door?" Elijah asked as he came upon them. Then he paused when he saw Sam. "Oh, hello, Sam."

"Hello," Sam replied. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," Elijah told him. "How are you?"

"Good," Sam answered. "Thanks for asking."

They stared at one another in awkward silence for a few seconds and then Elijah bade them farewell and scurried back to his office, slamming the door loudly behind him.

"That went better than I thought," Drew said. "I was expecting more of a spectacle than that."

"Maybe he's starting to feel better about things," Selina remarked.

"Or maybe he doesn't dislike me as much as I think," Sam added. "I mean, you and he raised Lucy and I together for a bit, didn't you, Mom?"

"Well, I know for sure that you and Lucy were together at the house sometimes," Selina replied. "And Elijah knew that. I don't think he holds your conception against you. At least I hope he doesn't. He accepts you as a fact of my life as long as I don't hit him over the head with your existence." She sighed. "Your conception was a very complicated situation for everyone."

"Yeah," Sam sighed. "I guess it was."

The awkward silence descended again and then Sam asked, "Can I meet your wife, Drew? Is she here?"

"Sure," Drew replied. "She's with her sister at the moment, but I'm sure we can go and see her."

"Cool," Sam smiled. "Okay."

* * *

As Elijah wasn't too keen about Drew and Clarissa's wedding, Clarissa had agreed to stay with Daisy and Finn at the apartment they'd made up for themselves until things had been sorted out.

"This was really brave of you to do," Clarissa remarked to her sister. "Mom and Dad are gonna be so mad at you when Blake gets back."

"Oh, I don't think that will happen," Daisy told her. "I think the next time we see Blake Martell, it'll be at his funeral!"

"You seem very sure about that," Clarissa told her.

"I am," Daisy told her.

"You didn't pay someone to off him, did you?" Clarissa questioned. "Is that why you're so confident that you'll never see him again?"

"How do you think I should answer that?" Daisy asked Finn. "Do you think I should give her all the details?"

"Why not?" Finn questioned.

"What happened?" Clarissa asked.

"Well, Finn's grandfathers kidnapped Blake and offered to kill him for me so Finn and I could be together," Daisy said. "And they kept their word. All we have to do now is wait for them to tell us that he's dead."

Clarissa stared at her sister in shock. "That…that's just…Oh, my god! Couldn't you have just eloped like I did?"

"We _could_ have," Daisy nodded. "But you know that as long as Blake was alive, I wouldn't have been able to enjoy my marriage, would I? What we did was best."

"Yeah," Clarissa sighed. "I guess." She fidgeted and got up to pace around the room. "I wish I could see Drew. I hate hiding out like this." She then turned back to her sister. "Don't tell Finn's grandfathers about this; I don't want Drew's father killed."

"Oh, Drew's father is family," Finn assured her. "They wouldn't kill him."

Clarissa let out a breath, and when the doorbell rang, she went to open it and threw herself into Drew's arms. "I missed you!" She cried. "I'm so glad you're here!" She then blushed a little when she saw Sam grinning at her from behind Drew's back. "I'm sorry," she apologized and stepped back. "I didn't know you had a friend with you, Drew."

"It's fine," Drew told her as he made his way into the apartment. "Thanks for watching Clarissa for me," he thanked Finn and Daisy. "I appreciate it."

"Oh, no problem," Daisy told him. "I couldn't do any less for my sister. When she asked if she could stay, I couldn't very well refuse her, could I?"

"No," Drew shook his head and sat down. "I hope not. Clarissa, this is my brother Sam. He wanted to meet you."

"Well, that's nice," Clarissa told him. "If you can handle my emotional outbursts and not tease me about them, I think I like you."

"I like you too," Sam told her. "You made a good choice hooking up with Drew here."

"We haven't actually hooked up yet," Drew corrected. "We were planning to after we married, but we haven't had time yet."

"Ah," Sam smiled. "Interesting. That's very nice."

"I _tried_ to change his mind about that," Clarissa told him. "But he stood firm."

"It'll be worth the wait," Drew told her. "I promise." He then looked at Sam and said, "Let's stop talking about this now and discuss something like the weather."

"Oh, you don't have to stop on my account," Sam replied, grinning at the pained look on Drew's face. "I don't mind."

"Well, I do," Drew replied and stood up, tousling his dark hair. "Anyone want a drink? I'm getting up to get one."

"I'll come with you," Sam said. "I want to see what they have in there."

"What do you think of her?" Drew asked in a hushed voice when they got to the kitchen. "Am I crazy?"

"No, she seems like a good woman to cause all sorts of trouble for," Sam replied. "Good for you."

"I'm glad you think so," Drew told him. "Now, do you want alcohol or not?"

"Yes," Sam told him immediately. "Always."

* * *

"How did your date with Lucy go the other day?" Helene asked William. "Did you have fun?"

William blushed. "I wouldn't really call it a date, Mom," he said. "We were just hanging out at her sister's bar."

"Ah, all right," Malachai nodded. "Do you think you'll ever have an official date at some point?"

"Of course we will!" William told him. "We just need to find the time. And we've had some dates. This wasn't the first one."

"Don't be intimidated because of the whole fire thing," Malachai told him. "If you want to be with her, you should tell her."

"Oh, she knows," William assured his father. "I got her to go to bed with me, and that should mean something, right?"

"You did?" Helene looked at him in amazement. "Were you careful?"

"Yes," William nodded. "We didn't even catch on fire. The sheets were a bit sooty, but that's it."

"That's good," Helene nodded. "But you know what I mean, right?"

"Yeah," William smiled. "I do. We were careful in every possible way."

"Oh, good," Helene let out a breath. "That's a relief." She then turned her gaze on Percy, who had just come into the room. "And what about you?" She asked him. "Do you have anything you need to confess?"

"No," Percy shook his head. "You know about my part in going with Stephanie to Drew and Clarissa's wedding. I'm not in trouble for that, am I?"

"Well, it really wasn't good for you to leave school in the middle of the day," Helene replied. "But since it's not typical behavior for you _and_ it was an emergency, I'm gonna let it go."

"Good," Percy nodded. "Thank you." At the sound of the doorbell, he said immediately, "I'll go get it!"

"Who is it?" Helene asked.

"Just Stephanie," Percy explained. "She needed to get out of the house for a bit." He then sped off to meet Stephanie at the door. He opened it, pulled her inside, and kissed her deeply right there in the doorway.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Stephanie asked in surprise when she felt his hands pushing up her skirt.

"What do you mean?" Percy asked, keeping his hands right where they were. "This is what you came over here for!"

"I know, but we are not doing it right here in the doorway," Stephanie chided. "At least carry me up to your room or something."

"Oh, all right," Percy said and picked her up. He carried her to his room, and with that requested granted, they undressed each other, he slipped on a condom and went to bed where he performed quite nicely.

"I…you're good," Stephanie told him as he paused pushing into her for a moment. "It always surprises me."

"Why?" Percy asked as he ran his hands over her bare body. "I'm a man. I have needs."

"Yes, I know that," Stephanie said and reached under the covers to stroke him gently, his cock throbbing under her light touch after she slipped the condom off. "But you're subtle about them. You'd never know there was a raging, hot-blooded beast under those neatly pressed black trousers."

"Of course not," Percy whispered, then grunted and nibbled on her ear. "The only person who's entitled to know about that is you."

"I should think so," Stephanie replied, her dark eyes flashing, and her dark hair a nice contrast against the white pillow as Percy pulled her to him and then pulled the covers over them and, after making sure the sheath was over the sword, to begin making love to her all over again.


	55. Like Oil and Water

"You!" Leslie cried when Helene brought her into the living room to meet Stephanie and Percy's new friend that they were introducing to his parents. "You! Asshole! What are you doing in my house?"

"Now, now," Sam smirked. "What kind of language is that for a high and mighty lady such as yourself? Women who think they can bribe their way into a job shouldn't swear at strangers using the sort of language that truckers would use."

"What?" Helene asked. "You tried for a job, Leslie? Where?"

"At Roxie's bar," Sam explained. "She wanted to take my spot as official entertainer."

"Well, good for you for wanting to work, but I don't think that's the right sort of place for you," Helene told her.

"That's what I said!" Sam replied. "But maybe now that it's coming from you, she'll actually listen."

"Oh, shut up!" Leslie cried. "We need to talk!"

"Do you want me to shut up, or do you want me to talk?" Sam questioned. "Make up your damn mind!"

She growled and grabbed him by the necklace that he wore, delighting in the gagging noises he made as she pulled him off to a room some distance away. When she tried to shut the door, it didn't shut all the way and was left somewhat ajar, so everyone heard what was said next.

"You are the biggest asshole around, you know that?" Jill grouched. "Isn't it bad enough that you humiliate me at your sister's bar? Why do you have to humiliate me at my own house too?"

"I didn't choose to come here," Sam shouted. "If I'd known I would have to see your stupid face and hear you whine, I would have stayed home!"

Helene winced as a sharp slap echoed loudly. "Do you think we should stop this?" She asked.

"Let them finish it," Malachai said. "Sam seems like the type who would never forgive us if we stopped him in the middle of a fight."

"I don't know if that's a good idea," Helene fretted. "Sam can heal when he's hurt. Leslie can't."

"But Leslie has magic," Malachai reminded her. "I think they're pretty evenly matched."

He was right. Sam was able to dodge whatever magic Sam threw at her, and whatever pain she did cause him was like nothing to him because either she didn't know the spells that could cause him real pain, or she didn't truly want to hurt him after all. Sam bet on the former rather than the latter.

This went on for some time until Sam finally got sick of it and did the one thing he could do that he knew would throw her off-guard: When she threw her next punch, he grabbed her fist, pulled her to him, and kissed her deeply. When he finally let her go, a grin on his lips, Leslie spit on him and then let out a terrible shriek that brought Malachai and Helene running.

"What happened?" Helene asked in a breathless voice. "Are you hurt? Do we need to take you to the hospital?"

"No," Leslie shook her head, her mouth twisting in disgust as she continued to spit on the carpet. "He _kissed_ me!"

"That's it?" Malachai asked, looking underwhelmed. "The way you were screaming, I thought you were really hurt."

"Being hurt I can stand," Leslie told him. "Not kissed by a…" she gestured at Sam, whose blue eyes were pained from what he'd just had to do. "By _that._ "

"Oh, you can complain all you want, but it took you some time to pull away," Sam pointed out. "And I only kissed you so you'd stop punching me and slapping me."

"Yeah," Leslie scoffed. "We wouldn't want to ruin those good looks. Then you might actually have to use your brain."

"That's some real shit coming from a girl who just pays her way through life," Sam shot back. "If you had to handle life on your own without money that wasn't just handed to you, you wouldn't be able to handle it, and I would watch you and laugh."

"That's _real_ nice!" Leslie spat and stomped on his foot before striding out the door. "Thanks for bringing that jerk here," she told Stephanie and Percy, her eyes narrowed. "It really just made my day."

"We didn't bring him to bother you," Percy tried to explain while passionately wishing Jill was back because she was a hell of a lot nicer than Leslie. "We brought him here so he could meet Helene and Malachai!"

"And he's done that," Leslie pointed out. "So why don't you take him the hell away from me and everyone will be happy."

"Or _you_ could be the one who leaves," Percy pointed out. "Did you ever see that as an option?"

"No," Leslie shook her head. "I can't believe you're actually asking me to leave. How dare you?"

"Well, it's not like you're happy here," Percy told her. "All the rest of us just want to have a nice visit and all you're doing is ruining it. So you can either suck it up and be nice to Sam, or you can leave. The options are simple."

"What are you gonna choose?" Sam asked, a grin on his lips. "I'm dying to know."

"I'm not gonna be kicked out of my own house for you," Leslie told him, pushing him off his spot on the couch and sitting there herself. "I'm staying right here."

"Aren't we lucky?" Sam got out as he got to his feet. "Lucky, _lucky_ us!"

A few minutes later, Percy and Stephanie went to the kitchen to get something to drink. "Maybe we shouldn't have brought Sam here," Stephanie told him. "It just seems to be causing trouble."

"No!" Percy shook his head. "What we did was exactly right. I didn't let myself get manipulated by that kind of behavior when you were acting that way and I won't let it happen with Leslie either."

"Oh, please tell me I wasn't that bad," Stephanie begged, and then paused. "I was…wasn't I?"

"Yes, but you learned," Percy pointed out and kissed her. "You changed for the better. I don't know about her."

"I don't know either," Stephanie agreed. "But we'll see, won't we?"

"What are you two hiding out here for?" Sam asked as he came to join them. "And if it's because you want to get away from Leslie, can I join you?"

"Sure, go ahead," Percy told him. They stayed in the kitchen until Helene came in and said they could come out because Leslie had decided to go out to a movie with Caleb and would be leaving soon.

"Thank god," Sam sighed. "I feel sorry for Caleb, though. Can't imagine what it would be like to be stuck with her in the dark and not be able to get away."

"Oh, he already knows what that's like," Malachai explained. "Leslie, Caleb, and two other boys were kidnapped and held hostage in a warehouse for several days in the dark because a man called The Phoenix wanted to take revenge on me."

"Ah," Sam nodded. "Best of luck to him then. Better him than me."

* * *

"What do you think of your brother and that girl he sang with?" Vince asked Roxie as they entered the bar and set up for the evening. "I thought she wasn't bad."

"She had a passable voice, sure," Roxie agreed. "But anyone on karaoke night can do better. And she just wanted me to _hand_ her the job. Can you believe it? I don't know if I could stand being with someone who was so bitchy!"

Vince chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Roxie asked, eyes narrowed.

"Oh, I just think it's hilarious that you're critical of bitchy women when I once spit in your lemonade cause I hated your high and mighty attitude, and your mother tied you to the roof of her car cause you wouldn't shut up about wanting ice cream."

"Well, that just shows how much I've grown, hasn't it?" Roxie said.

"Yeah," Vince replied, putting his arms around her and kissing her neck. "I guess so. I just hope that Sam will stay on."

"Why wouldn't he?" Roxie asked. "I mean, it was one thing when we were making Leslie sing with him, but now that he'll be having the stage to himself again, I don't know why he would leave."

They didn't have to wait too long to ask him. He came in with a pencil and a pad of paper in hand and was sitting at the bar writing and angrily crossing things out. "What are you doing?" Roxie asked.

"I've decided to try writing some of my own material inspired by how much I hate Leslie," Sam told her. "That wouldn't be a problem, would it?"

"No," Roxie shook her head. "I'm sure people would love to hear songs that you wrote yourself. So you're gonna keep singing with us?"

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "Now that Leslie is gone, why wouldn't I? But I came to pick up my stuff because I moved in with Dad again."

"That's gonna be a hell of a commute," Roxie commented.

"I know," Sam agreed. "But I think I can handle it. It'll give me time to think up more lyrics."

"All right," Roxie told him. "If it works for you, I'm not gonna complain. Can I get you some bourbon or something while you write?"

"Yes, please on the bourbon," Sam nodded. "And also, make it a double if you would."

"All right," Roxie said. "Coming right up."

* * *

"You called?" Edele asked Kai. "What sort of horrible sin have I committed now?"

"None," Kai told her. "I'm trying to head off one that you might commit, but I don't want you to."

"All right," Edele nodded. "What are you trying to get me not to do?"

"Well, as you probably know by now, I have become something of a lackey to your former lover," Kai told her. "You _do_ know that, don't you?"

"Yes," Edele assured him. "I've always meant to ask you why you wanted to do something so stupid."

"Well, it's because he made me a warlock again," Kai told her. "And because I'm a warlock again, Victoria and I can now try to have a kid that's entirely our own. You're not gonna get in the way of that like you did with the twins, are you?"

"Oh, no!" Edele assured him. "I have no intention of doing anything nice for that asshole John ever again. You enjoy your child and you'll get no trouble from me…if you let me visit every once in a while."

"What will you do if we don't?" Kai asked.

"Do you really want me to take the time to come up with an answer to that question, or do you just want to do what I ask and save us all a lot of irritation?" Edele asked.

"I'll have to see what Victoria says," Kai replied. "We might find it's worth taking on the consequences for refusing you."

"Why do you always have to be so obstinate?" Edele grouched. "Why can't you just be a good son for once in your life?"

"I've been a good son plenty!" Kai told her. "You just never appreciated it cause I wasn't a girl!"

Edele began rubbing her temples. She wasn't in the mood to listen to this. Instead, she disappeared and went back to troubling John about Freya. That was much more fun anyway.


	56. Sam Prefers Brunettes

As Sam got up to play one night, a beautiful, leggy brunette sat at one of the tables near the stage and watched him sing with a smile on her face. Every so often, she would wink at him. Sometimes she would lick or bite her lips. He tried to keep his mind on what the words of the songs were, but he was very relieved when the show was over and he was able to meet the woman.

"I saw you watching me," he said when he met her at the bar. "I always like interacting with a fan. Can I get you a drink?"

"Sure," she said. "I would love to. My name's Rachel, by the way."

"Sam," Sam replied, taking her hand and kissing it.

She laughed awkwardly just as Sam looked up and saw Leslie coming into the bar. She gave him a wave and began coming toward him. "You wanna come upstairs with me?" Sam asked Rachel quickly, wanting to get away from there before Leslie ruined everything. "We can have a better conversation in my room."

As they made their way up to the second floor, Leslie strode over and grabbed his arm. "Wait a minute!" She cried. "Before you go, why don't you have a look at my new dress? Isn't it nice?" She spun around, the red fabric flowing around her, and Sam wasn't sure, but he thought he could make out the fact that she wasn't wearing any panties under the dress. It made her long legs look marvelous.

He turned to face Rachel. "Why don't you go behind the bar and get us a bottle of something?" He suggested. "That would be nice, wouldn't it?"

"Sure," Rachel nodded. "Who's she?"

"No one," Sam said. "Just another fan."

"He's as much a fan of me," Leslie smiled and grabbed him, zapping a pair of panties into his back pocket and nibbling on his ear. "I think you have my panties," she whispered loudly so she would be sure Rachel could hear before zapping everyone in the bar except herself, Sam, and the other woman away. "That's why I'm not wearing any. You have them in your back pocket."

By the time Rachel had surfaced with the wine, Leslie was straddling Sam on a chair and massaging his neck as she muttered, "I'm sorry, boo-boo. Can you forgive me?" She began kissing his neck. "I love you so much!"

"What the hell are you doing?" Sam whispered. "I don't like this and I bet you sure as hell don't. What are you trying to accomplish?"

Leslie tilted her head back, giggling at the sight of Rachel staring open-mouthed from the bar. "I love a spectacle," she told him. "Don't you?" She put his hand under her skirt and made it so he was rubbing her. "You want me to put my panties back on?" She asked. "Or do you want to just stay like this?"

Sam gritted his teeth as he felt himself become aroused. "Stop it," he whispered. "Fuck you, stop it!"

"You're very naughty to keep my panties in your pocket like that," she told him. "I'm lucky that I found out your dirty little secret before every pair I owned went missing!"

"I didn't put them there!" Sam shook his head. "It was _you_! I never touched your damn panties before now!"

It was then that Rachel cleared her throat and Sam moved Leslie just a bit so Rachel could be seen over her shoulder. "What?" He asked, sounding more irritated than he meant to.

"I have the wine," Rachel told him. "You gonna be done any time soon, or should we re-schedule?"

"You should reschedule," Leslie told her before Sam had a chance to answer. "We're busy."

"Oh, I can see that," Rachel told her. "I'm not blind."

"So what are you still standing there and staring for?" Leslie snapped. "Go away, would you?"

"Just do it," Sam told Rachel with a sigh. "I don't think we're gonna get anywhere tonight."

"All right, fine," Rachel told him. "But this isn't over."

"Oh, I hope not," Sam agreed as Rachel strode out the door and Roxie and Vince came from upstairs where they'd been remaking the beds after washing the sheets.

"What are you two doing?" Roxie asked when she saw the position Leslie and Sam were in. "Where did everyone go?"

"Well, I made them go away," Leslie explained. "Cause as you can see, we want privacy."

"It's a strange choice to do that in the main bar area when you want privacy," Vince replied. "Since it's still business hours, would you mind zapping all our customers back and continuing what you're doing in either in private or after business hours?"

"Or not at all?" Sam put forward as an option. "I would be pleased to never have to do this again."

"Oh, come on," Leslie said and got off him before putting the red panties on. "You liked it."

"No," Sam shook his head. "And if I didn't have such gentlemanly tendencies, I would smack you."

"Go ahead," Leslie smiled. "But remember, we have to wait until after hours."

"With pleasure," Sam told her through gritted teeth.

* * *

"Going out again?" Annie asked Sam when she found him grabbing his coat and heading for the door around three in the morning. "What's so important that it can't wait at least until sunrise?"

"I have a score to settle," Sam told her and narrowed his eyes. "I'll be back after, I promise."

"All right," Annie replied. "Good luck."

"Thanks," Sam told her. "I'm going up against a really sneaky witch. Your sister, Leslie, as a matter of fact. Want me to tell her 'Hi' from you?"

"No, that's okay," Annie shook her head. "Just focus on your vengeance."

"All right," Sam grinned. "See you in a little bit."

"What was that all about?" Damon asked sleepily as Annie came back to bed. "Trouble?"

"No," Annie shook her head. "Your boy is just going to wreak vengeance."

"Oh," Damon nodded and lay back down. "Good for him. I hope he wins."

"I think he will," Annie assured him, putting a hand on his bare chest as her head hit the pillow. "He really seems to want it, and in my experience, that usually leads to good things."

* * *

"Well, look who finally showed up?" Leslie remarked from the bar stool where she was perched as he strode in. She was wearing that same red dress and the way she was positioned gave him a perfect view of her exposed legs and thighs. "I was beginning to think that you were too chicken to come and face me."

"Oh, I'm not chicken at all," Sam replied as he approached her. "Now that I've had some time, I'm completely ready for you. I'm ready to kick your ass. Or spank it, I guess would be a more accurate way of explaining what I'm gonna do." He strode up to her and asked, "Were you ever spanked as a child?"

"No," Leslie shook her head. "Why would my parents have done that to me?"

"I thought so," Sam nodded. "That explains a lot about you. And I guess since your parents didn't spank you, I'll have to. Cause you're acting like a child and that's the only way to fix it."

He then pulled her off the bar stool and she squirmed wildly in his arms and tried to kick him, then used her magic to send glasses flying from behind the bar and toward his face, but to her displeasure, he deftly avoided them, then sat down on a plush red couch in the pool room, pulled her across his lap, slid up her skirt, pulled down her panties, and began spanking her bare bottom, which was very nicely rounded, he thought.

Part of her liked it, but there was no way she'd let him have the satisfaction of knowing that, so she began screaming her head off, cursing his name, and beating the side of his leg with her fists.

As Sam spanked Leslie, he caught himself thinking again of the round firmness of her bottom and that, combined with the fact that eventually, her shrieks of anger began to sound more like moans of pleasure (at least to his ears) meant that he soon found himself aroused. This unnerved him, so in an effort to calm himself down, he ordered Leslie off his lap and ordered her to pull up her panties.

She did so, but glared at him while trying to control her heavy breathing. "Isn't that always the way?" She got out. "Get a girl all worked up and then push her off your lap. Typical."

"Hey, it's no picnic for me either, sweetie," Sam replied. "You think I like being aroused by you?"

"I don't like it either, but we might as well finish what we started and then we can feel ashamed of ourselves tomorrow," Leslie told him.

"Not a chance in hell," Sam replied. "I'm gonna leave while my dignity is still intact."

"Oh, I think you lost that long ago," Leslie told him.

"Everything okay down there?" Roxie's voice called over their heads. "What's going on, Sam?"

"Nothing," Sam shook his head. "I was just leaving. Sorry we woke you. I'll be sure Leslie leaves with me."

He then grabbed her by the arm and stormed out as Roxie and Vince looked down on them from the upper level railing. "Look at those two," Vince sighed. "Real belligerent, aren't they?"

"Yeah," Roxie nodded and bumped Vince a little. "Remind you of anyone you know?"

"Oh, yes," Vince nodded. "Definitely." He grinned. "I bet you a hundred dollars that they'll become a couple."

"What sort of a couple?" Roxie asked. "A real one, or just fuck buddies?"

"A real one," Vince said. "I really think it could happen for anyone if it did for us."

"I don't know," Roxie shook her head. "She doesn't really seem like Sam's type. _Way_ too snobby."

Vince cleared his throat and said in a high-pitched voice, "Doesn't your mommy ever give you baths? Don't you know who I am? Have a little respect! What are _you_? How come you dress like a slob?"

"What are you muttering about?" Roxie asked, eyebrow raised.

"All that was stuff you said to me when we first met in the woods, remember?" Vince told her. "You were a little snob then too."

"Yeah, well…shut up!" Roxie told him, knowing there was no way she would win this argument and would soon be out a hundred dollars. "We were four. What the hell did I know?"

"I wonder how I'll spend my hundred dollars…" Vince mused as she pulled him back to bed. "So many options!"

"I'll pay you a hundred dollars to shut up about this," Roxie told him. "How about that?"

"So I get _two_ hundred dollars?" Vince smiled. "Works for me!"

"Oh just go to sleep," Roxie told him as he climbed into bed and she turned off the light. "Goodnight."

"Good night, Princess," Vince grinned. "See you in the morning."

* * *

"What in the world is that?" Elijah asked sleepily as he and Selina were both roused by the repeated ringing of the doorbell.

"I think it's the doorbell," Selina replied and rubbed her eyes.

"I know it's the damn doorbell," Elijah snapped. "But what sort of inconsiderate person would ring at this hour?"

"Oh, buck up!" Selina told him and put her robe on. "We're supposed to be creatures of the night, aren't we? Don't worry, I'll get the door. You can keep going with your beauty sleep."

"Good," Elijah nodded. "Thank you." He lay back down and Selina followed the sound of the doorbell, surprised when she opened it to find Sam on the other side.

"Sorry to wake you up," he apologized. "But I just…I need to talk."

"That's fine," Selina assured him and they both sat down at the kitchen table. "You want cocoa?" She offered. "I can put the little marshmallows in it."

"Thanks," Sam told her. "After what I've been drinking, that would probably be a good change."

"All right," Selina said as she set glasses of cocoa in front of herself and her son. "What's going on?"

"She's driving me crazy, Mom," Sam said. "She's driving me crazy and I don't know what to do!"

"Who is?" Selina asked.

"You know that pain in the ass blonde I sang with at Roxie's, Leslie?" Sam said. "It's her. And I don't even _like_ blondes!"

Selina snorted into her cocoa then leaned forward so she was looking closely into her son's eyes, which were as blue as her own. "What did she do to you that was so terrible?"

Sam narrowed his eyes. "She makes me feel all…tingly. I hate her, but I want her and it drives me crazy!"

Selina burst out laughing when she heard this. "She makes you tingly?" She repeated.

"You know what I mean!" Sam growled as he flushed deeply. "Do I need to describe it like a romance novel? Why are you laughing? I'm miserable and it's not funny, is it?"

"No," Selina shook her head and put a hand on her son's arm. "I'm sorry for laughing. I know it's not funny. It's just that…I can't help but notice she makes you more alive than I've seen you be in a long time. What went on with your dad and Lucy made you close yourself off and take yourself away from everyone and because of Leslie, you're finally interacting with people. You're showing emotion and opening yourself up. That's good!"

"It was hard being by myself, you know," Sam told her.

"I know," Selina nodded. "I should have made more of an effort to bring you into the family instead of just letting you run off by yourself. That was my fault. I'm sorry."

She hugged him tight and he said, "Thank you for saying that. I appreciate it."

"You're welcome," Selina replied. She sighed. "You know, when I had you, even though it was a surprise, it was the most pleasant surprise I could have hoped for."

"Really?" Sam asked. "Why?"

"Cause being with your father and being a mother to his children was a big part of my life plan," Selina told him. "Your grandmother didn't want that of course cause she thought your dad was a rascal and that I could do better, but when I got pregnant with Joshua, I thought I would be able to cheat the system, you know? That even if your father died, I would always have a part of him and that would be enough. Then Joshua got taken away, your father got turned into a vampire and I did too, and it all seemed like I'd never get to live that plan out. Then you came along, and you were my second chance. I told myself that I would do better with you…and then I didn't. I let you be raised by someone else while I was so wrapped up in my own drama that I…well, while I didn't exactly forget about you, I can't say I was the mother you deserved, can I? Didn't really use that second chance well at all."

"It was a complicated situation," Sam told her. "You didn't even know that I could exist, so it wasn't like with Joshua where you were able to plan for me and then lost out. If I had been a definite part of your life plan, I know you would have done everything you could to make sure you were there for me. Cause you're a good mother. You try your best. I don't blame you for it." He sighed. "And in a way, I don't blame dad either. I was just as much a surprise to him as I was to you."

"Yeah, but he really put forth the effort with you," Selina chuckled as she remembered coming to pick him up she could move him and baby Lucy into her and Elijah's house cause she didn't want to burden Damon and finding an empty house and a note from him, saying that he couldn't just give Sam up, and that he'd rather raise him on his own than see him be in a living arrangement where he might never get to see him. "I didn't think your father had it in him to raise a kid on his own. But for a bit, he did. And he did a good job, too." She sighed and took Sam's hand. "So, you gonna take off now to avoid this whole Leslie thing? Or are you gonna stay and work it out?"

"I think I'm gonna stay," Sam told her. "I think I can handle it. And…and things are working out with me and Dad…and his girlfriend too. I'd be throwing away so much if I left now."

"Well, I'm glad to hear that," Selina replied. "And you can stop by any time you want, just like you did tonight. It won't bother anyone."

"It'll bother Elijah," Sam smiled.

"True, but he'll get over it," Selina told him. "So, will I see you?"

"Yes," Sam assured her as he finished his cocoa then headed to the door. "As long as I'm welcome, you will."


	57. The Bar Fight

"Why do you keep coming back here?" Sam huffed at Leslie as she came through the door of the bar. He slammed down the cup he was cleaning and went to talk to the bouncers about not letting Leslie in under any circumstances. Then he came back and found Leslie sitting on a bar stool. "I just came for a drink," she said. "Can I have one?"

"No," Sam shook his head. "Vince and Roxie went out to visit a friend and left me in charge. I'm choosing not to serve you. At least not anything alcoholic."

Leslie frowned and then pulled a twenty out of her pocket, then coming around the bar to stick it in the waistband of his jeans. "Now what do you say?"

"Let me show you," Sam grinned, pulling a large squirt gun out from under the bar, directing it right at her, and shooting her with a thick stream of water that sent her flying into a table and short-circuited one of Vince's old neon bar signs.

This plunged the formally loud and chatty bar into silence as everyone stared at the sopping wet Leslie while she struggled to pull herself up from the floor.

"What?" She asked as they kept looking. "You never saw a wet girl before? Get back to your drinks, please!" Then, a grin curved her lips as a wicked idea crossed her mind. She picked up one of the squirt bottles full of ketchup off the table and squirted it on the shirt of a nearby patron. He was shocked at first, but when she shouted "Food fight!" It didn't take much more prodding. Soon, food, condiments, and anything else that could be thrown or make a big mess was flying through the air.

"What the hell are you doing?" Sam demanded of her. "What do you think Roxie and Vince will say when they come back here and find out what a big mess this place is?"

"That you're not trustworthy and they should never leave you to watch the bar on your own again?" Leslie grinned.

"Oh, you evil little…" Sam spat, his eyes narrowing as he took a handful of ice and dumped it down her blouse and laughing at her subsequent shriek.

To get back at him, she sprayed him with beer from the tap and soon the two of them were fighting just as furiously as everyone else in the bar.

And that was the mess that Roxie and Vince came back to. They stood frozen, staring open mouthed at the chaos until Vince whistled and it caught everyone's attention. "Just what the hell is going on here?" He cried.

"Food fight," one of the regulars named Fred replied, and then pointed at Leslie. "She started it."

Roxie and Vince frowned as they strode over to Sam and Leslie. "Didn't we tell you that you were supposed to watch this place while we were gone?" Vince remonstrated Sam. "How did it get to be such a mess?"

"You heard Fred," Sam replied. "There was a food fight. Leslie started it."

"But it looks like you kept it going," Roxie reminded him. "I think we'll close up early today and the two of you can clean this mess up together." And as Leslie's jaw dropped, she said, "And no magic from you either, young lady. The only way you're gonna learn your lesson is by doing things the old fashioned way."

"I guess that means _you'll_ be the one cleaning the toilets," Sam chuckled.

"Over my dead body," Leslie replied.

"That can easily be arranged," Sam told her.

"Enough!" Vince snapped as he got between them. "Clean yourselves up and then clean up the bar, all right?"

As Sam and Leslie nodded, Vince announced to the customers that things would be closed for the rest of the day until the bar was clean again. Everyone swore and grumbled, but paid their bills and soon, it was just Roxie, Vince, Sam, and Leslie in the room together.

Roxie then handed Leslie a mop. "Use this," she said. "Vince and I will be upstairs working on paper work, but we'll be down to check on you from time to time, so don't think you can just skip cleaning like you're supposed to. We'll know if you do."

"Fine," Leslie grumbled. "We'll clean up your stupid mess. You've made your point. Now why don't you just go away?"

"We will," Roxie told her. "I hope you learn something from all of this."

They left Sam and Leslie picking up overturned furniture and sweeping up broken glass and went upstairs, with Roxie surprised to see that Vince was grinning in spite of what had just happened.

"What are you so happy about?" She asked. "Did you see what a mess those two made of things? It's gonna take some time to straighten everything out."

"Oh, I know," Vince nodded. "That's not what I'm smiling about. I'm smiling cause this is just the beginning of how I'm gonna win our hundred dollar bet."

"No, you're not," Roxie shook her head. "It's not gonna happen."

"Yes it will," Vince told her confidently. "You'll see."

* * *

"I can't believe we have to clean this place up," Leslie huffed, pushing some of her blonde hair out of her eyes. "The nerve of them, making us do something so menial! And to not even let me use my magic!" She then brought up her finger and Sam grabbed it. "No," he said. "Roxie told you that you couldn't cheat, so you're not going to."

"Oh, really?" Leslie said and then hit him in the face with the mop. "How are you gonna stop me? Put me over your knee and spank me again? You know you want to. It would stop you from being so uptight. I thought you were the type who could take a joke."

"This was the first time Vince and Roxie ever trusted me with the bar," Sam told her. "I wanted them to be proud of me and you ruined it. How could you do that to me? Haven't you ever had a time where you wanted to prove your worth to someone?"

Leslie then began to feel really bad, so to diffuse her feelings of guilt, she came and blew into his ear, gave him a spank, and squeezed his bottom. "You wanna spank me now?" She asked. "Come on. Do it!"

"You're trying to bait me," Sam told her, his eyes and face averted so she wouldn't see how badly she was making him blush. "It's not gonna work."

"Yes, it will," Leslie told him. "I know I'm wearing you down already."

"You're out of your mind!" Sam told her through gritted teeth.

"Yeah," Leslie grinned and pulled off what she was wearing. "And out of my dress, too!"

Sam then made the mistake of looking up at her. "I hate you," he said as she began dancing around in her underwear and he pushed her against the bar. "I hope you feel ashamed of yourself for all this. Promise me you do."

"I can't guarantee that," Leslie replied and grabbed his hand, placing it on the front of her panties. She made him rub her, his fingers soon moving underneath the fabric to rub her mound and then he put his other arm around her waist and began kissing and nibbling on her neck while she moaned directly into his ear and grabbed for his belt to unbuckle it. "Why do you have to wear a damn belt anyway?" She whispered. "It'll just take me longer to undress you!"

That made him lean back a little. "I don't want you to undress me. Did you ever think of that? The belt is a way to protect myself against you and your firm, perfect bottom!" He pulled her to him and placed his hands there, giving her back side a squeeze and cursing. "Damn you!" He cried. "Damn you! I hate you! I hate that you can make me feel this way!"

"You think _I_ like it?" Leslie asked, her eyes wide. "If you do, you sorely underestimate your talents and your charm. Or lack thereof."

"Could you be any more pretentious?" Sam scoffed. "Who the hell says 'lack thereof'? Do you also say 'nor I' and 'upon' in regular sentences?"

"Well that depends _upon_ the sentence!" Leslie grinned wickedly and reached to unzip his pants. After that was done and his pants were down around his ankles, she zapped up a pile of pillows and blankets on the wooden floor behind the bar and then stroked him gently until he picked her up and gently tossed her into the pillow pile, then loomed over her, slipping off her panties and tossing them nearby, along with her bra. He then held her body down as he planted kisses all over her warm skin, reveling in her moans and the fact that she was straining with need.

"You make so much noise," he told her. "You can use your words, you know. Say what you want to say. Say 'Sam, I need you. I need you to fuck me over and over'. Come on, do it. You know you want to."

"I…you…damn you!" Leslie spat, her hips bucking forward as he parted her legs and pleasured her slowly with his tongue. "I…Sam, oh, _god!"_

After she came and he grinned at her, she said, "So you made me feel something. I bet I'm gonna have to hear about it from now on, won't I?"

"Well, I'll remember it for sure," Sam replied. "Cause you know, I've never felt the way I did when you were saying my name. It made something clear for me. I want something from you that I've never wanted from another woman before."

"Oh? And what's that?" Leslie asked, just waiting to see what the next part of the line was. It was rehearsed well enough that he'd probably said it to a gazillion other girls.

"I feel a real connection with you," he said simply. "No other woman has gotten into my head so much that I've been unable to sleep and found myself driving around and thinking of her at three in the morning. I've tried to get you out of my mind…I really have. But it doesn't seem like you're going away."

Leslie looked up into his eyes and laughed. "You know, that really is some line you're giving me. Does it work on all the girls?"

"It's not a line," Sam told her as he pulled her up to sit. "I mean every word of it. I wouldn't be this honest if I didn't feel I had to be. And I do."

Leslie was still skeptical until she noticed that he was blushing a bright red. "Oh, my god, you're really telling the truth, aren't you?" She asked. "You're not just feeding me a line." She was dumbfounded. "But why? Why me? You think I'm a pain in the ass. You said so yourself."

"But that doesn't mean we can't have a raw and real connection," Sam told her. "And besides, the fact that you're a pain in the ass is sort of appealing to me. If I just got along perfectly with a woman, I don't think the relationship would be as exciting. Do you feel that way too?"

"I never thought about it," Leslie told him. "But now that you brought it up, I think you're right. I don't mind you either." She smiled. "You and your lovely blue eyes." She reached out. "And that hair…god I love your hair!"

"You're so beautiful," he told her as she put her arms around him. "And beautiful, sensual, and erotic…"

"And you..." Leslie began. "And you…you're…talented. And dedicated. And very sweet. If you're good to your mother, you'll be good to me, right? Or…whoever you want to be with?" She paused. "I want it to be me."

"It is," Sam told her and lay her back down among the pillows again as he looked deep into her eyes. "I promise."

He took her in his arms, his hands running all over her body as he gently sucked on her nipples. Then, he got up.

"What's going on?" She asked. "Why are we stopping?"

"Oh, calm down," Sam replied and got out a bottle of tequila, pouring some into her belly button and then listening to her giggle as he sucked it out. Then he put some on her neck and slowly licked it off, and then did one more round that he poured in the space between her breasts.

"Hey, don't hog all the tequila!" She cried. "When am I gonna get a turn?"

Soon, they were passing the tequila bottle back and forth and after she had a few large swigs, Sam said, "I want to come inside you. Do you want me inside you?"

"Yes!" Leslie encouraged. "Come now, please!" As he pulled her in his arms and parted her legs again while she rested her chin on his shoulder, there was something she knew she ought to tell him, before things went too far. But she couldn't remember, so it was obviously not that important. She then let out a cry as Sam buried himself deep inside her over and over again, and when he finally paused for breath, she said, "I just remembered the thing I had to tell you: I was a virgin before a few seconds ago. You're my first time!"

"What?" He grunted, his once foggy mind, buzzed from the alcohol, suddenly clearing. He tried to pull away, but he was buried too deep and he couldn't.

"Why are you stopping?" Leslie asked. "Do you always stop in the middle of sex?"

"Not normally, but with you dropping that virgin bombshell, how could I not? Now I just feel terrible, thank you _so_ much!" Sam replied. "Couldn't you have told me before I…you know…did what I did?"

"I couldn't remember," Leslie told him. "Sometimes people don't remember things. And you shouldn't feel bad. It's not like you took an unfair advantage. Now, as long as we're situated like this, let's make the most of it, okay? Please?" She began nibbling on his ear. "Please? There's nothing you can do about it now, and fussing won't magically restore my virginity."

"Oh, all right," Sam sighed and began pushing into her once more while she moaned, grunted, and called out his name in a breathy voice. "I know I'll hate myself for this later, but all right."

* * *

"How I managed to get through that, I don't know," Leslie huffed as they dressed without looking at one another after they were through. The alcohol was hurting her head and it made her cranky.

"I can't believe that you almost let me go through that without telling me you were a virgin," Sam told her.

"Oh, don't think that your being my first means anything," Leslie scoffed and quickly buttoned her shirt. "The first time is always the worst and now I can tell other guys that I've had my first time. Thanks for doing what you can to make me more appealing to other men. I really appreciate it. And for doing the body shot thing so I was buzzed too. That was a big help."

Sam scoffed. "You didn't mean anything to me, either. I can have anyone I want. You just happened to be there at the time to fill up my bed. Or in this case, the space behind the bar. Have fun doing things that will make people call you a harlot behind your back."

"I will," Leslie smirked. "Thank you. You enjoy being a playboy too."

"I will," Sam smiled. "It's worked for me so far." He was exaggerating, of course. Although he had something of a playboy nature, it was not as pronounced in him as it had been in his father. He was more likely to be a one-woman man, but he couldn't let Leslie know that.

"You didn't mean anything to me," Sam reiterated.

"I'd say the same about you," Leslie shot back.

"Fine," Sam shrugged.

"Fine," Leslie nodded.

"Bye!" Leslie gave him a little wave and headed for the door.

"Bye!" Sam called. "Have a nice life!"

They both gave each other one long glare, then grabbed each other, gave one another one last, long, angry kiss, Leslie zapped the bar clean, and then they strode out the front door of the bar together, slamming the door behind them.


	58. Stuck In The Cellar

It was just after dinner this time that Sam showed up at Selina and Elijah's again, and he was a bit surprised when it it was Elijah who answered the door. "Hello, Sam."

"Hello," Sam greeted him. "Mom said I could come visit whenever I wanted. So I am. May I come in?"

Elijah had a very sour look on his face. He so badly wanted to deny the young man entrance, but then he told himself it wouldn't be right. So he stepped aside and let Sam sit at the kitchen table. "We just ate," he told him. "But I'm sure your mother would be more than happy to offer you some leftovers if you want them."

"Sam!" Selina cried. "Are you okay? Are you just visiting? Do you want some leftovers?"

"No, but can I have some of that cocoa you made me the last time I visited?" He asked. "That was good."

"Sure," Selina nodded and poured them both a cup. After Elijah gave them some privacy, she asked, "What is it that you want to discuss? Problems with that Leslie again?"

This made Sam abandon his cocoa and get up to pace around the kitchen. "Yes," he groaned dramatically and pulled at his hair.

"Well, what is it now?" Selina pressed. "If you want to tell me, that is."

"I do!" Sam spat with a little more intensity than he meant to. "We had sex, Mom! It was…I…urgh! You wouldn't mind if I put some bourbon in my cocoa, would you?"

"It's a bad habit, but I can't stop you," Selina sighed, and then watched her son fill up his cocoa glass with alcohol and chug it down like herself after a really bad day.

"I just feel like a big idiot," Sam told her.

"You shouldn't," Selina tried to comfort him while biting her lip on a smile. "And based on how much you've been fighting, I'm not surprised. That can really stir up the passion, as well as any unspoken feelings you might have, even for someone who's not a brunette."

Sam put his cocoa cup down and glared at his mother. "If you're not gonna let me be open about this without teasing me, I'll go talk to someone else."

"No, no!" Selina reached for his arm as he got up and turned toward the door. "I'm sorry. Keep talking."

Sam then groaned as someone else appeared between them. "What's going on?" asked his brother Joshua. "Important family discussion I'm missing?"

"Aren't you supposed to be in the Great Beyond with Grandma Charlotte or something?" He huffed. "I don't need the whole family's opinion about every problem I have!"

"You know, that's exactly where I was," Joshua replied, a twinkle in his eye making him seem much more like their father than usual. "But then I heard all this interesting discussion happening and I couldn't help but come and see what was being said."

Sam rolled his eyes. "Okay, I had sex with a woman who just bugs me to no end!" He said.

"And she's blonde," Selina added. "Not your brother's usual type."

"That's not the big problem," Sam sighed. "She nearly forgot to mention that she was a virgin! She waited until we were practically done! Who _does_ that?" He then turned toward his brother, who was just shaking his head. "What?"

"I just can't help but think what Grandfather would say if he heard you talking about this," Joshua replied.

"I would ask 'Which one', but you only knew one in your lifetime, didn't you?" Selina asked.

"Yes," Joshua nodded. "Almost too well. He didn't really approve of my journalistic aspirations and whenever I brought up what Jonathan Gilbert told me about you possibly being alive (in a sense of the word) still, he'd always brush me off."

"Hey, can we get back to _my_ problem?" Sam interrupted irritably.

"Okay," Selina nodded. "So Leslie _almost_ forgot to tell you she was a virgin before you finished having sex." She went back to her cocoa and Sam began moving his arms around wildly.

"Don't you share my sense of outrage?" He cried.

"Well, the point is that she _did_ tell you, even if it was a bit late," Selina said. "I think it's kind of sweet."

"What's so sweet about it?" Sam screwed up his face.

"She trusted you enough to be her first," Selina elaborated. "That shows an _immense_ amount of trust."

Sam scoffed. "I think it was kind of silly of her to put so much trust in someone like me, but there you go."

"What do you mean by 'Someone like you'?" Joshua asked his brother. "What do you think is wrong with you?"

"Well, any smart girl would probably wait and have her first time be with someone who was more stable, you know?" Sam said. "Someone who'd showed that they were actually capable of carrying on a long term relationship."

Joshua then said, "If that were true, I wouldn't have been born and neither would you," He turned to Selina. "How many stable relationships did Father have with women before you and he got engaged?"

"Well, there was your grandmother," Selina replied. "And me…that's it. And even though your father's relationship habits _did_ leave a lot to be desired (as I later learned), I picked him for my first time cause I really felt we were on good, stable footing. Leslie felt the same about you. Or maybe she wasn't looking for something stable and long-lasting and just wanted to have a bit of fun. That's an option too. Don't drive yourself crazy over this. It won't do you any good. And I really think you underestimate yourself. You're a much better man than you believe."

Sam's jaw dropped a little. "You think?"

"Do you want to be with her?" Selina asked, "If you're this worked up about it, I think you do."

Sam blushed a little and then said, "Maybe not now. Later, we could have something, but I don't think we're ready yet. We had a talk afterward when our heads were clearer and she told me that the only reason why she was okay being with me in the first place was for the experience and to make her more appealing to other guys."

"Well, don't take that at face value!" Selina urged him. "She could just have some problem that makes her have trouble dealing with her feelings and she's covering them up by telling you such things. I've done that before. She's probably afraid of being hurt, just like you."

"I don't know," Sam said doubtfully.

Then Joshua asked, "Really, Mother? When did that happen?"

"Is this about Lonely Heart?" Sam asked. "Is that what you mean?" He then looked at his brother, wondering how he would feel when he heard about Selina's mass murdering days, because he'd only ever seen well-behaved vampire her.

"Yes," Selina sighed.

"Who's Lonely Heart?" Joshua asked.

"That's my cue to leave," Sam said and stood up. "Thanks again for the cocoa, Mom. I'll go tell Elijah he can leave his office and then be on my way."

* * *

The next day, Roxie called him to ask a favor: one of her servers had called in sick and repairs needed to be done, which would be keeping Vince busy, so would he mind coming over for a bit and being an extra hand on deck? She would pay him well for it.

"Sure," Sam told her. "I'll be right over." He made his way to the bar and then quickly began waiting tables.

Later, Leslie came in and sat herself down among a flock of werewolf admirers, and it quickly became apparent that she was just with them for the attention and to work Sam up because every so often when she knew he was looking her way, she would peer at him to see just how he was reacting to her flirting.

He was annoyed by this at first, but then he realized that two could play that game and turned on his charm. Soon, girls were falling under his spell just as it had always been and Leslie wasn't laughing so hard anymore. In fact, she looked rather put off before getting up and stalking to the bathroom, leaving her group of admirers alone at the table.

"What's going on?" Vince asked. He'd paused working on the plumbing to get a drink and had witnessed the whole thing. "What did Leslie do now?"

"It appears that she's decided to move beyond me," Sam told him. "And that's fine. I don't care."

"No," Vince replied, and gripped Sam's arms tight as he looked him in the eye and tried not to think of the smug look Roxie would sport if she won the bet. "You can't be done with her now. She's just trying to get a rise out of you. Don't let that happen!"

Sam gave him a look. "Why does it even matter to you?"

"Um…" Vince cleared his throat and stepped back. "No reason. I've gotta go upstairs and continue working on the plumbing. Can I do anything for you before I go?"

"No, I'm good," Sam replied. "Frankly, it's you I'm worried about. Is there something you need to get off your chest?"

"No," Vince shook his head. "I told you, I'm good." He then headed back upstairs without another word and Sam shook his head and went to bring a table their drinks.

* * *

Later, he was helping Roxie bring the newest alcohol deliveries in when Vince came upon them and took the boxes out of Sam's arms. "You'll never guess who's still shamelessly flirting with every man in this place," he told him.

"Leslie," Sam replied in a deadpan tone. "Is that who it is?"

"Yes," Vince nodded. "She's got quite the group of attentive admirers, which is really unusual for a werewolf crowd. It's not common for them to like witches."

"She probably put a spell on them," Sam said dismissively. "I bet they don't even like her at all."

"They seem to be enjoying themselves," Vince replied. "Why don't you go see?" He nudged him into the main room and Roxie grinned at him. "What?" He asked.

"That's real subtle," she told him. "Just when the poor boy has a chance to be happy and free of someone who makes him miserable, you just push him right back at her again because you don't want to lose a stupid hundred dollar bet."

"Keep your voice down!" Vince told her. "We don't want him to know about that, remember?"

"Oh, all right," Roxie huffed. "I suppose you have a point."

"Yes, I do," Vince replied smugly. He thought Sam would storm into the bar and try to discourage Leslie's flirting, but instead, Sam just stood by the bar with his arms crossed and glared for a little before taking some money out of his pocket, putting it on the bar, grabbing a beer, and then drinking it with his back to her.

* * *

"Where's Sam?" Vince asked after he came down. "Flirting with more people to get back at Leslie?"

"No, I sent him into the cellar to get some more tequila and beer," Roxie told him. "He's probably there now."

Vince went to the cellar where the alcohol was kept, stood just inside the door, and heard Sam and Leslie arguing. Grinning to himself, he pulled a key off his belt and locked the door. A little time alone would be good for them.

Meanwhile, the sound of the lock clicking as the door closed caused Sam and Leslie to pause in their arguing about why the hell she'd followed him into the cellar in the first place to stare at it.

"The door is closed," Leslie got out and pointed at it.

"No, really?" Sam asked. "I wouldn't have figured that out with you here to tell me." He went to pull the handle and cursed when he realized that it was locked. "Well, shit, we're stuck here."

"Don't you have a key or something?" Leslie panicked. "I have a life, and better things to do then be stuck in here with you!"

"Thanks," Sam told her and tried to kick the door open, but just succeeded in nearly breaking his foot. "Damn, that won't work." He headed back to Leslie and said, "So…how do you want to pass the time?"

Leslie stared at him, then ran and pounded on the door, screaming "Help!" at the top of her lungs, but no one came to save them.

After a minute or so of listening to this, Sam came and pulled her away from the door. "You might want to stop yelling and save your voice. No one is coming for us."

"So you just want us to stay here?" Leslie's jaw dropped. "Is this your idea of a romantic encounter or something?"

"No, of course not!" Sam scoffed. "Why is it that whenever we talk, you always say something about how you think I want to get in your pants or under your skirt? I think that _is_ what you want, but since you hate yourself for thinking it, you're phrasing it so that you can believe it's all on me." He got right up in her face. "Is that right?"

Leslie then backed away from him. "There has to be a way to get that damn door open. You look like the sort of person who's committed thievery at some point in his life. Didn't you ever learn how to pick a lock?"

"You're the one who has magic," Sam countered. "If you're so desperate to be out of here, why don't you just bibbidi-bobbedi-boo the door open? If you truly wanted to leave, you would have." He smiled to himself and pulled the sheet off a large object nearby that turned out to be a mirror, then grabbed Leslie and stood her in front of it. "Have a look at one of the stupidest people ever."

"All right, I will," Leslie nodded. "And it'll be easy cause he's standing right behind me. Why is there even a mirror here anyway? I thought this place was where they kept the alcohol."

"Well, I don't think I would know cause I'm one of the stupidest people ever," Sam told her.

"You called me it first!" Leslie reminded him and gave him a push. "Don't go playing the victim now."

The push threw Sam off balance and he backed up while trying to right himself, tripped over a can of paint, and then landed on his back, the wind knocked out of him as he stared up at the ceiling.

Leslie stared down at him, a smirk on her face, and said, "Well, isn't this interesting?"

"What's so interesting about it?" Sam managed to get out. He tried to sit up, but Leslie put a hand on his chest and pushed him back down before peeling his shirt off and gently running her fingers over his bare chest.

"It's interesting because you had control last time we were in this situation, didn't you?" Leslie asked. "You were on top?" She then kissed him. "I think it's time you tried a new position."

Sam chuckled. "Am I seriously hearing this? You want to have sex in a cellar on the floor? Not that I have a problem with it, but that seems so unlike you."

"You have no idea what I'm like," Leslie replied, zapping a plaid blanket underneath him and then getting on her knees beside him and whispering, "You want to take your pants off, or shall I?"

"I'll do it," Sam replied. "Since I assume you want to be on top?"

"You'll actually let me?" Leslie asked in surprise. "I thought I was going to have to convince you to do that."

Sam shrugged. "Not really. I don't mind."

After he got his pants and boxers off, he lay back down on the plaid blanket and she straddled him and gasped as he filled her, then bucked her hips over and over and smiled at his intake of breath as she leaned forward and kissed him. "Are you okay?" She asked. "Did I hurt you?"

"No," Sam shook his head and sat up, balancing on his elbows. "I'm fine. That was just really…that was good."

"All right," Leslie nodded. "Good. "I'll just keep going, then."

"Yes," Sam nodded, laying back down and shutting his eyes. "Please do. I like it."

Later, he sat her down so they were both facing forward and looking directly into the mirror, then he entered her from behind, holding her around the waist and grinning over her shoulder as he pushed into her over and over again, getting more aroused himself as she pleasured herself with the hand that wasn't holding his free one.

"You really seem to know what you're doing there," he whispered.

"I've had lots of practice," she agreed. "But you're not so bad yourself."

He chuckled and Leslie saw him smirk at her in the mirror before he put his lips to her neck and nipped her skin while pushing into her again, then pushed her forward so she was stretching out her back and arms. "Good lord," she got out. "This is really good!"

"Yeah," Sam agreed as she sat up and he began massaging her breasts. "Wasn't it?"

They sat there like that for a few minutes and then Leslie got out, "You know, good things happen when we don't fight. You think we could stop fighting and…just do this instead?"

"That depends," Sam replied. "You start the fights more than I do."

"I do not!" Leslie snapped, feeling affronted, then let out a cry as Sam pushed into her again.

"Yes, you do," he shot back.

"Fine, whatever," Leslie sighed. "It's not worth fight over."

"Now you finally get it," Sam sighed and played with her hair. "Good for you."

"So do you want to?" Leslie pressed. "You and me? Have sex?"

"Fine," Sam agreed. "It's all right with me."

"Good," Leslie smiled. "Glad to hear it."


	59. Meeting Mom

"You know," Leslie whispered as Sam rolled off her, panting heavily. "Do you really think it's a good idea for us to be so passionate in your father's house? I barely know him. I don't know him at all."

"Well, that's why I told you to put that silence spell on the door," Sam reminded her. "They didn't hear a thing."

"True," Leslie nodded and hugged him before looking around Sam's room at his father's house. "This is a nice place."

"It is, isn't it though?" Sam nodded. "It's been in the family forever. My brother bought it more than a century ago."

"Is your brother a vampire too?" Leslie asked. "Can I meet him?"

"He's a ghost," Sam replied. "But I'm sure he'll pop up and snoop in my life when it occurs to him."

Just then, there was a loud clap of thunder and then it began to rain heavily.

"My god," Sam remarked and held her close. "It's really storming. You should go home now that we've done our thing. Cuddling wasn't part of the deal."

"I know you're joking," Leslie answered and got out of bed. "But I might go out in all that rain just to teach you a lesson."

Sam chuckled and gave her a nod, patting the empty spot on the mattress. "Well, since you know I'm joking, why don't you get your ass back here?"

"Why are you so eager?" Leslie questioned. "Are you one of those people that can't sleep alone?"

"Well, I'll sleep alone if you're gonna act like that," Sam told her and then stuck his tongue out. "I just want you near me. What's wrong with that?"

"Oh, nothing," Leslie replied and got in bed next to him. They lay still in each other's arms for a bit as the rain ran down the windows, and then Sam spoke.

"You wanna spoon?" He asked.

Leslie's jaw dropped a little. "Seriously?" She asked. "I thought we weren't spooning people."

Sam chuckled. "I suppose you're right. I've never been much for spooning." He held her close. "I like looking into a woman's eyes when I make love to them."

Leslie then snuggled against his bare chest, content until she was startled by a loud clap of thunder and grabbed him, her nails driving into the skin of his shoulder blades.

"It's okay," he said, trying not to show how much it hurt since she was in distress, and holding her tight. "It's all right."

"What the hell was that?" Leslie asked.

"Just thunder," Sam assured her. "The roof's not gonna fall in on us or anything."

"You don't know that," Leslie told him, her voice becoming somewhat hysterical. "It could! It could just flatten us like a pancake!" She buried her head in his shoulder and he stroked her back and muttered nonsense in an attempt to soothe her as she tried to breath. When that didn't work, he began singing "Lullaby" by Shawn Mullins in a soft tone. "Everything's gonna be all right, rock-a-bye…"

"This is nice," she whispered. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Sam told her and kissed her hair. "I like it too. When it's so quiet like this and it's as if we're the only two people in the world."

Finally, she fell asleep with her head on his shoulder and his fingers in her hair, but he couldn't rest. He lay awake, staring at the wall and listening to the sound of the rain until she began tossing and turning in his arms. "No," she muttered. "No, no, no!"

"Babe, babe wake up!" He ordered, shaking her gently. She opened her eyes and he said, "What was that? Were you having a nightmare?"

"Yes," Leslie nodded. "It's one I have a lot, actually. It's about my stepfather."

"What about him?" Sam asked, something telling him that what he was about to hear wouldn't be good.

Leslie sighed. "He used to abuse me. Verbally mostly. Call me useless and stupid and ugly, especially after he would hit on me and I would reject his advances. Sometimes he'd skip the name-calling altogether and just try to take what he wanted. I fought him off, though. He wasn't magical like I was, so I at least had that to help me."

"Good job," Sam told her, feeling very proud. "Good for you. I bet I know the answer to the question I'm about to ask you, but I think I should ask it anyway: did your mother know what was going on?"

"Yes," Leslie nodded. "And to her credit, she divorced him as soon as I got up the courage to tell her what was happening. We got a restraining order and I haven't seen him since the divorce was made official two years ago, but I can't…I can't help but think my luck will eventually run out and he'll find me. He's a very determined and scary man."

"I bet he is," Sam told her. "My mother had the same problem growing up. And her mother wasn't as quick to change their situation as yours was."

"Your poor mother," Leslie empathized. "Did she get out of the situation, though?"

"She did," Sam nodded. "Her mother sent her to live with the people who would eventually become my grandfather, father, and paternal uncle. And she was safe there. Then her father finally murdered her abuser."

"That's good to hear," Leslie told him. "That makes me glad that your mother didn't have to put up with it anymore cause she had people looking out for her, even if they were a bit slow to act."

Sam looked into her eyes for a long moment then kissed her. "I want you to know that you have me in your corner too," he told her. "I promise you that one day I'll find that bastard and kill him for you so you don't have to worry yourself sick anymore."

"It's a nice thought," Leslie told him. "You're very sweet. But I'd rather just forget him now and I think you should too. Please?"

"All right," Sam promised as they both tried to settle down. Although he knew for a fact that the image of her shaking and crying and struggling because of a man who had caused her so much pain would be something he'd never forget, no matter how much she wanted him to.

* * *

"I love that you can cook," Annie told Damon as they sat at the breakfast table the next morning, nibbling on some breakfast pizza that he'd made. "It's _so_ good." Then she paused and looked guiltily at Damon. "Do you think I should go check on Sam and ask him if he wants to have breakfast with us?"

"Sure," Damon nodded. "Although I'm surprised he hasn't smelled it and come down on his own." He looked at the clock. "It's almost eleven."

So Annie tip-toed upstairs and knocked quietly on Sam's door, calling his name. When she got no response, she opened the door and sneaked inside, gasping when she saw Sam and Leslie curled up together under his covers. They were sound asleep, which explained why he hadn't come downstairs yet.

Annie peered at them for a little bit and then ran out of the room and to the kitchen to tell Damon about Sam, but on the way, she passed by the door and the doorbell rang. She opened it and started a little, as it was Damon's former wife on the other side. "Hello," Selina greeted her. "How are you?"

"Good," Annie smiled. "Wanna come in? What brings you here?"

"Thanks," Selina told her. "I have no idea. I was just told to come. I guess I'll find out soon." They looked at each other awkwardly until Selina said, "I haven't seen you since I helped you pick out your dress for the ball. How have you been?"

"Great," Annie assured her. "What about you?"

"I've been good too, thanks for asking," Selina replied. They lapsed into silence again until Damon came to the door smiled at them.

"I'm so glad you came, Lina," he commented. "How did you get Elijah to let you come on your own? I thought he would be here for sure if he knew that was where you were going."

"Well, your message had an air of urgency, so I sneaked out without telling him anything," Selina replied. "I don't know how long I can stay out before he starts causing trouble."

"I'll try and make this as quick as I can," Damon assured her. "You want some leftover breakfast pizza? I can heat it up for you."

"No, thanks," Selina shook her head and took a seat in the living room. "I already ate. So…what is that you need me for?"

"Nothing, really," Damon replied. "I just wanted to tell you in case you didn't already know, that Sam's decided to stick around." Then he put his arm around Annie and pulled her close. "And you can tell your husband that I'm with this lovely woman here, so I have no romantic interest in you whatsoever and he doesn't have to feel threatened anymore."

"Really?" Annie asked, surprised that Damon was willing to make their relationship public.

"Yep," Damon nodded with a smile.

"All right, I'll let Elijah know," Selina assured him. "I don't know if it'll actually convince him though. He's very stubborn about stuff like that. And I know about Sam, too. He's been coming to visit me and tell me about how much he's been struggling with his attraction to that Leslie girl. Morning visits and cocoa. His complaining even brought Joshua down from wherever it is he's hanging out."

"Is that so?" Damon asked. "How come Joshua always visits you more than me?"

"I'm sure if you asked, he would visit you," Selina told him.

"Joshua is Sam's older brother," Damon told Annie when he saw her questioning look.

"Yeah, giving birth to him was one of the last things I did as a human," Selina added. "He died in 1939."

"And thank god it was a small funeral and his family already knew we were vampires," Damon added. "That made the grieving process a hell of a lot easier."

"I never thanked you for coming to the service, did I?" Selina asked.

"You don't have to thank me," Damon told her. "He was my son too. It was only right that I came and gave my condolences, even though I didn't know him as well as you did."

It was Sam's sudden appearance that held off what would have been another awkward silence. "Good morning," he said, rubbing his eyes. He headed over to the coffee pot to make himself some coffee, and as she looked at him, it was obvious to Selina that her son wasn't entirely awake yet. If he had been, he would be in more than just his boxers for one thing.

"Sam, honey?" She said, coming toward him like a person approaching an animal that might bolt if startled, and trying to rouse him a bit more. "Good morning. How did you sleep last night?"

"Not as well as normal, which is why I got up so late," Sam told her as he got the milk from the refrigerator and poured it in his coffee cup.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Selina told him.

"What are you doing here?" Sam asked.

"I'm just visiting your dad and Annie," Selina replied. "And you. It's nice to see you too."

"Thanks," Sam replied. He took his first swig of coffee, inhaled the air, and then, after following his mother out of the kitchen, he gasped. The coffee had woken him up and now he was alert enough to realize that a room full of people were staring at him and he was only wearing his boxers, which were light blue and had ducks on them. "Excuse me," he said. "I'll be back in a minute."

"And be sure to warn Leslie too!" Annie called. "So that she can at least get herself in a bathrobe before she comes downstairs."

"What?" Damon asked.

"When I went to ask Sam about breakfast, I found him in bed with my sister Leslie," Annie explained.

"When you say 'in bed', do you mean they were just resting together and had their clothes on, or do you mean _in bed_?" Selina questioned.

"It was dark, and of course I didn't look too long, but I'm pretty sure it was the latter," Annie said. Then she looked at Damon. "That's not a problem, is it?"

"No," Damon shook his head. "Why would it be a problem?"

Meanwhile, Leslie was watching with amusement as a frazzled Sam threw clothes on. "What's wrong with you?" She asked, a grin on her lips as she put her arms around him. "We're not ashamed of our body, are we?"

"Normally, no," Sam shook his head and turned to give her a brief kiss before surveying her and seeing that she was wearing one of his t-shirts and possibly panties. "My mother is downstairs with Annie and my dad, so would you mind putting a robe on or something before you leave here?"

"Sure!" Leslie nodded, putting on underwear and pajama shorts and zapping a robe on over that. "Your mother is here? I get to meet her? After what you told me about her, I can't wait. Do you think she'll like me?"

"Oh, yeah," Sam said. "She's been telling me to ease up and admit I liked you ever since she found out you were part of my life."

Leslie smiled. "Well, I like her already," she replied. "I can't believe I'm gonna meet the woman who gave birth to you. This is so exciting!"

"Yep, you're gonna meet the reason why you initially taunted me by calling me a mama's boy," Sam grinned.

"Well I didn't mean that," Leslie told him as they made their way downstairs. "I'm sorry."

When they reached the bottom of the stairway and Leslie saw Selina chatting with Damon and Annie, she turned and started up the stairs again.

"What are you doing?" Sam asked. "I thought you wanted to see my mom!"

"I do!" Leslie assured him. "But I changed my mind about something. I can't meet her looking like this! I look like a slob! Your mom probably doesn't want you to be with a slob!"

"I know for a fact that she won't care," Sam tried to assure Leslie. "Her husband dresses for breakfast every morning, but she never does. She's not gonna care that you're in a bathrobe at this time of day. _Her mother_ would, but she wouldn't."

Even so," Leslie zapped herself into a nicer outfit of white slacks and a black and white striped blouse. "There," she breathed a sigh of relief. "Now I feel better."

Sam rolled his eyes. "I can't believe you're getting this worked up over meeting my mother. She's even more bohemian than I am!"

"I just want to make a good impression," Leslie told him firmly.

They reached the table and Sam introduced a stammering Leslie to Selina.

"Oh, it-it-it's so nice to meet you!" Leslie got out and took Selina's hand. "S-Sam's told me lots of good things. Don't worry about that. Sorry it took us so long to get down here. I wanted to look nice though and it took me some time to find the perfect outfit. And I would have had flowers or chocolates for you, but I didn't know you would be coming and-"

"It's okay," Selina assured her as Annie and Damon grinned. "Breathe, breathe!"

"Thank you," Leslie told her and took a long breath into her lungs. Then Selina motioned for her to sit in the empty chair beside her. "You don't mind, do you, Sam?" She asked as Leslie sat down.

"No," Sam shook his head. Then his eyes widened as she began rummaging around in her large pink leather purse. "What are you looking for?" He asked suspiciously. "You better not be looking for my baby pictures to show her."

"And what does it matter if I am?" Selina asked. "She's already seen you naked. What's in those pictures is nothing she hasn't seen before."

"Oh, yes, show them to me!" Leslie cheered. "Now I _really_ want to see them."

Sam groaned and turned back to the refrigerator while Leslie and his mother giggled over his baby pictures. While he was touched that she still carried them around, he really didn't feel it was necessary for her to whip them out every time she met someone new in his life. _Especially_ not the bathtub pictures. He was gonna have to find those and burn them one of these days.

"It's not too early to start drinking, is it?" Sam asked as Damon came and put an arm around him.

"No," Damon shook his head. "Trust me, I'll get those pictures from her and burn them someday."

"Not if I get them first," Sam replied, and then he and Damon clinked glasses of bourbon, downed them, and went back to the table.

* * *

"That was a great set," Leslie told Sam as she approached stage after his latest show that evening. She'd disguised her appearance so that she could approach Sam and not feel like people would think more was going on with them than there actually was. She was looking at Sam with hazel eyes from under bright red hair. "I appreciate your performances."

"Thank you," Sam told her. "That pleases me."

She then went to the bar and ordered a drink, but as she drank it, someone came in the bar that made her drink go down the wrong way and she began choking. Vince, who was tending the bar and quickly whacked her on the back as the man approached the bar and she turned her eyes away from him moving down several bar stools as the man, a rough fellow whose dark eyes, hair, and beard just screamed "Werewolf!"

"Have you seen a girl around here named Leslie?" He asked. "And don't try and give me the excuse that you've seen lots of people. She'll be easy to pick out. She's a witch."

"What do you want with her?" Vince asked.

"I'm her stepfather," the man replied. "She's run away from home and her mother asked me to bring her back."

Meanwhile, Leslie had listened to this exchange and had hid her eyes in Sam's shoulder. "What's the matter?" He asked.

"My stepfather is over there," she whispered. "Talking to Vince. He's looking for me. Would you make him go away? Please?"

"With pleasure," Sam said through his teeth, and then approached the burly werewolf. "What the hell do you want?" He asked.

"I'm looking for my stepdaughter Leslie," the man replied. "And I have very strong suspicions she came this way."

"Well, whatever suspicions you might have, you're not gonna find her here," Sam replied.

"Exactly," Vince added. "You said she was a witch. We don't serve witches here. This is a werewolves-only bar. You should know that." That wasn't strictly true, but Vince didn't like the look of the guy, so he lied.

"You need to go," Sam said firmly.

Leslie's stepfather looked at the wiry vampire and said, "Oh, yeah? And if I don't choose to leave, who'll make me? You?" He gave him a push and chuckled. "Oh, I'm sure."

It was the push that did it. Soon, Sam was engaged in a fight with a werewolf that was nearly twice his size, but holding his own remarkably well. As he broke the man's arm with a crunch and spat every swear word and insult he knew in his face, the man got out, "What's all this? Do you just like to start fights, boy?" He grunted in pain.

"No," Sam shook his head, his eyes narrowing. "I just really don't like you. What is it that you want with Leslie? What more can you do to her? Haven't you done enough?"

It was then that Vince broke up the fight and called an ambulance to bring the man to the doctor and fix up his arm.

When he was gone, Sam quickly told Vince, "Sorry about that. I know you're still recovering from the last mess I made of this place."

"This time you had a good reason," Vince replied. "If you hadn't beat the shit out of him I would have."

"Leslie told me about the history between her and that man and it's not pretty," Sam told him, and then went to assure Leslie that the man was gone while Vince made up a sign to put up over to bar as a way to make sure that her stepfather would never be allowed in the bar again.


	60. Demon On The Run

" _Christian! Christian, come back! We can talk about this! Don't run away from me, please!"_

But the desperate tone of Jill's voice as it echoed in his brain just made Christian feel more and more ashamed. He knew what he looked like when he was in that demon form. He knew that she was only being nice. By staying away from her, he was doing her a favor. But he knew he couldn't run away forever. He had to find a place to stay.

Finally, after it seemed like he'd been running forever, he collapsed in front of a bar and just lay there on the pavement, too tired to move. He hoped he'd resumed his human appearance when a young man helped him to his feet and invited him inside.

"Hi," the young man told him. "I'm Sam. Are you okay? Wanna sit down and have a drink?"

"Oh, I would love that, thanks," Christian replied. "It's been a long night. You have no idea."

"I figured as much," Sam agreed. "You look like hell."

"What?" Christian asked, his hands immediately flying up to his hair to check for horns. "Do I have horns? What color are my eyes?"

"Calm down," Sam told him. "Take a deep breath. It's okay." He shook his head. "You think you have horns? That must've been some bender you went on. Try and stay away from those in the future. And taking that into account…" He poured Christian a glass of orange juice and put a little umbrella in it. "That might be the best thing for you right now. Or do you want coffee instead?"

"No," Christian shook his head. "No coffee. That will keep me awake and that's the _last_ thing I want."

"You wanna talk about it?" Sam asked. "I'm ready to listen if you do."

"Oh, it's nothing really," Christian told him, hesitant to reveal what was going on to someone who was practically a stranger. "Just problems with my parents. My dad wants me to, you know, take on the family business and I don't want to. I'd rather be with the woman I love instead."

"Well, that's rough," Sam sucked in his breath. "And you were so stressed out about it that it made you go on a bender?"

"It's a bit more complicated than that," Christian took a swig of his orange juice. "I have a bit of a dark side, and I…I finally showed it to the woman I'm living with. She was so terrified that instead of sticking around, I just ran away. She's out looking for me now. I know it."

"So you turned?" Sam asked. "You made your transition?"

"My what?" Christian asked.

"You turned into a werewolf for the first time?" Sam elaborated, his blue eyes curious. "Is that what your girlfriend saw?"

"No, I didn't turn into a werewolf," Christian told him. "It's something else entirely. Something a bit more… _demonic_. Although I think I have werewolf blood in me somewhere. I don't know. I'm more a warlock than anything else. My name is Christian." He then went back to his orange juice while Sam tried to think about what to say next after introducing himself.

After he poured Christian an orange juice refill, he asked, "Do you have anywhere to stay tonight? If you're still not wanting to go back to your apartment because of your girlfriend, there are rooms upstairs. I could get you one."

"Would it be any trouble?" Christian asked, not quite believing that someone other than Jill knew about him and was still willing to show him kindness. "I don't want to cause any more trouble than I already have."

"It would be no trouble at all," Sam shook his head. "My sister and her husband left me in charge of the bar and if you need a room, I think you should have one."

"Thank you," Christian said as Sam grabbed a key to one of the upstairs rooms and took him up there. "I…I really can't thank you enough for this."

"Don't think anything of it." Sam waved away the thanks. "It's my pleasure. You need anything else before you call it a night?"

"No, thanks," Christian told him. "I can handle the rest. You have a good night."

"You too," Sam smiled and clapped him on the shoulder. "Sleep well."

"Oh, and one more thing," Christian added. "If there's ever anything I can do for you, you know, to repay you for being so nice, don't hesitate to let me know."

* * *

When Christian's door was closed, Sam did one last check of the bar, left the day's money in the safe, and went home to Leslie, who was in the living room, her nails digging into the arms of Damon's favorite leather chair while she stared blankly at the TV, which was off.

"Did you have another nightmare about your stepdad?" He asked her.

"Yes," Leslie nodded in a haunted voice. "Yes, I did."

"I'm sorry I wasn't here to help you through it," Sam apologized and picked her up. "I hate seeing you like this. Why don't we just find the guy and kill him? Then you won't have to worry about him anymore."

"How can we do that?" Leslie asked. "I don't even know where the guy lives."

Sam smiled and sat down at the computer. "Boy am I glad that's your only worry," he told her and then sat down at the computer before asking, "What was his name? Your stepdad's, I mean."

"Ron Stephens," Leslie replied. "But there could be a gazillion people out there with that name. There's no guarantee that we'll find him."

Sam typed in the name on a website that helped find people and then a list of people with the name "Ron Stephens " came up and as he stared at the screen, he said to Leslie, "Where do you think he lives? Nearby?"

"For my sake, I hope not," Leslie shuddered.

Sam printed out the list and said, "Well, we know what we have to do then: go down the list and see which one is the right one and then take care of him."

"You're not serious," Leslie told him. "That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. It's not gonna work."

"Do you want him dead or not?" Sam asked. "Would you rather keep having nightmares about him cause you know he's out there somewhere and could come and get you at any time?"

"No, I don't," Leslie shook her head. "But I think this is foolhardy."

"You don't have to come," Sam told her. "I can go on my own."

"No, you won't," Leslie shook her head. "If you're doing this for me, you're not going by yourself. I'm coming with you, but I'm staying in the car. End of story."

* * *

"I really don't think this is a good idea, Sam." Leslie told him as they worked on staking out her stepfather's house the following night after a day of unsuccessfully searching for him. They were on the last name on their list, so it had to be him this time. "I just…I'm so touched you want me to have closure, but killing him is not the answer. That will make us just as bad as he is. And it's been a long day. Can't we come back and kill him tomorrow when it's not so dark?"

"No, we cannot," Sam told her firmly. "He deserves payback for what he did to you. I can't just let it go. And darkness is the best time to do it. Then he'll be less likely to see me."

"But what if he hurts you too?" Leslie asked. "If something bad happened to you, I don't think I'd be able to forgive myself."

Sam smiled and kissed her hair. "Don't worry," he assured her. "Nothing bad will happen to me. I have werewolf blood just like that jackass does. I'll make it through okay."

Though the plan had been for Leslie to stay in the car, as Sam got out, she said, "I'm coming with you."

"No," Sam told her firmly. "No you're not."

"Well, how are you planning to get him to the car?" Leslie questioned. "It would be easier with my magic, wouldn't it? I'm not taking 'No' for an answer."

"All right, come," Sam nodded. "It's not like I'll be able to stop you. Let's go, grab him, and get this over with." He then forced the front door open and Leslie followed him inside. They got some lights on, and when they found the right Ron Stephens, he was sound asleep and snoring loudly.

"Are we gonna kill him now?" Leslie asked. "Just hit him over the head until he's dead and let's go."

"Well, that isn't very sporting," Sam told her, his werewolf side kicking in and making him feel particularly bloodthirsty. "Let's wake him up and make this a real fight!"

"All right, you do that," Leslie told him. "But I'll be in the car while that's going on." She zapped Ron out of the house and then locked herself in the car, having a front row seat to watch him and Sam beat the crap out of each other, especially after Ron made a remark about what it must be like to fuck his stepdaughter and how she wasn't really as sweet as she seemed. As Sam had promised, they were pretty evenly matched, but since Ron was older and heavier, he had a slight advantage.

While they fought, a sudden thought popped into Sam's mind: that of his demon friend from the bar the other night, the one that had the room at Roxie's. Christian. He began thinking of him, shouting for the man mentally cause he knew after so many years that that was a way to get a magical person's attention, and soon, Ron was pushed off him by a large figure and he was able to get to his feet, take a breath, and watch in awe as the large man fought with what was definitely a demonic creature. It didn't take long for Ron to be pinned to the ground. Then the figure reared its head up, its gray skin shining in the moonlight, and stabbed Ron through the heart with one of his horns. As blood spurted everywhere, Ron went still. Then, Christian turned to Sam and said, "There you go. Are you all right?"

"Yeah," Sam nodded and reached out to take his hand. "Thank you. Thanks a lot."

"You're welcome," Christian said in surprise, wondering why in the hell he was being looked at so kindly when he knew for a fact that he was still in his demon form and spattered with blood, although his mind was very much human. "I-I'm glad I could help you. Anything else you need?"

"No," Sam told him. "Thanks, you've done enough. Why don't you go back to your girlfriend? Have you talked to her lately? I'm sure she's worried sick about you."

"I will do that," Christian promised. And he meant it too. He'd been ashamed before, but Sam showing him kindness and acceptance had made him feel optimistic enough to go back to Jill and face her after what he'd done. And he had to admit, he couldn't wait to see her again. He gave Sam one last goodbye, turned around, and rushed off into the night as Leslie and Sam took care of Ron's body, then went home so that Leslie could have a good night's rest.


	61. Only One Comes Out Alive

"I have to thank you for giving me another chance to come and work here," Leslie told Roxie as she picked up glasses from the tables and brought them back into the kitchen so they could be washed. "I know that my behavior before wasn't exactly the best, but…I really do love this place."

"Well, it was very sweet of you to volunteer to help out," Roxie replied. "We were short-handed what with Sam volunteering to do that one night only charity concert for his friend."

"And if you need me after this, I'll help then, too," Leslie promised. Knowing that her stepfather was dead gave her a whole new outlook on life and made her more appreciative of everything, including the value of good, hard work, however menial.

"That's good to know," Roxie replied as Vince pulled her into the kitchen. "What?" She asked him. "What's going on with you?"

"What have you been talking about with her?" He asked. "Her and Sam? So are they together or what?"

"Oh, my god, I don't believe you," Roxie said as she hurried him away from Leslie so she wouldn't hear them talking of her. "You will do anything to win that bet, won't you?"

"Yes," Vince told her firmly. "Yes, I will. So…answer the question."

"I don't have anything to tell you," Roxie replied. "We have other things to talk about besides her and Sam, and even if that _was_ an appropriate topic for discussion, I don't know how comfortable I would be saying anything."

"Well, if you're not comfortable saying something, I'll have to do it," Vince said. "I'm getting my answer one way or another."

Roxie rolled her eyes and realized that it would be pointless to try and stop her husband when he was _so_ determined to have his way. So she sat down at a table and watched with her arms crossed as Vince caught Leslie when she came out of the kitchen to see if there were any more dishes that needed washing.

"So…I bet you miss Sam tonight," he said.

"Yeah," Leslie nodded. "I suppose you could say that I do. But I don't blame him for doing this thing for his friend. It's very sweet of him and he promised he'd make it up to me after."

"Make it up to you?" Vince said as he turned to look at Roxie and make a face. "Really? And just how might he do that? An intimate evening? Dinner and a movie?"

But just as Leslie opened her mouth to respond, there was a tinkle of the bell over the door that meant someone had gotten past the bouncers and was coming in. Then Roxie yelled, "Addie!" and when Vince turned, he saw that Roxie had her arms around their brunette daughter, who just happened to be Sam's former girlfriend, and was asking her about a very obvious hummingbird tattoo that she had on her hand.

Vince quickly excused himself and joined them, picking up the suitcases Addie had brought with her. "So, it appears that you've come to stay for a bit," he remarked. "That's nice. "It's been a while since we've seen you. Just a warning, though: Sam's basically a full-time employee now. That won't be too weird for you, will it?"

"No," Addie shook her head. "Thanks for asking, but I've come to terms with what happened between me and Sam and I can handle being around him in a mature fashion by now, especially if he's doing so much for the bar."

"Well, that's a very healthy attitude," Vince remarked. "Why don't I take you to your room now?"

"Sure, if that's what you want," Addie replied and gave both her parents a hug. "Thanks, Mommy and Daddy. I'm glad to finally be back."

It was just before they were about to go upstairs that Leslie reappeared to ask if there were any other chores that she could do.

"No, why don't you take a break?" Roxie suggested. "Oh, and Leslie, this is our daughter Addison. She and Sam have known each other for a while. Addie, this is Leslie. She's-"

"I'm a friend of Sam," Leslie filled in quickly cause the thought of Roxie telling this girl who was a stranger to her about her and Sam's relationship made her physically ill.

"Hello, friend of Sam," Addie replied briefly and shook her hand, but then quickly pulled away and put her attention elsewhere.

Leslie was left blushing a deep shade of red. "Well, I don't want to interrupt your family reunion any more than I already have," she remarked. "If you need me, I'll be in the pool room."

"All right," Roxie nodded. "Thanks for letting us know." She watched Leslie go, and then they headed upstairs to find her a room, make up the bed, and help her unpack.

* * *

"So who's the blonde?" Addie asked her parents as she and Roxie made up the bed. "Just some new girl you hired?"

"She _may_ be Sam's new girlfriend," Vince blurted out. "I tried to ask your mother, but…" He then doubled over as Roxie elbowed him in the gut and he fell to the floor.

"Sam has a new girlfriend?" Addie crossed her arms and shook her dark hair out. "Well, good for him."

"Well, it's possible that they're only sleeping together," Roxie told him quickly. "We don't know more than that. Are you okay? You said you were before, but does knowing about Leslie and the fact that she could very well be replacing you change anything?"

"Why would it be a problem? Why would it change anything?" Addie asked. "We broke up. Sure, I haven't found anyone to replace him yet, but it's not really a priority right now." She paused. "Interesting to see how his tastes have changed. I never thought he'd go for a blonde." She grinned. "Maybe I turned him off brunettes for the rest of time."

"Or maybe he just likes her and it has nothing to do with you at all," Vince said. Her attitude was beginning to remind him of young Roxie, which was really weird since neither Addie nor her brother Joey were biologically related to them at all. They'd found out some months after the twins' birth that their biological parents were Enid, who used to own the bar, and her longtime love Owen, a warlock she couldn't be with because her elitist sister disapproved, and Enid's way around that was to have Roxie and Vince parent her and Owen's children once the two of them expressed an interest since, being a hybrid, Vince couldn't father any children of his own. That had been a bit of a surprise, but it hadn't made them love the twins any less. And though it shouldn't be, since they'd raised the kids, it was still a surprise to see them acting like their adoptive parents.

"Oh, all right," Addie rolled her eyes. "I suppose that could be a good explanation too."

"Yes it is," Vince said firmly. "And if they're together while you're here, don't try and interrupt them. Cause that would be very rude."

"Why do you care so much?" Addie asked. "Did you set them up or something?"

"No, but your father and I have a hundred dollar bet about whether or not Leslie and Sam will end up being a couple," Roxie explained. "And your father is determined to win at all costs."

"Why?" Addie wanted to know, her blue eyes curious. "It's not like you need the money, Dad."

"Well, I know, but there's something about beating your mother at something that has always been very satisfying to me, and it's not changing now."

"Oh, I see," Addie nodded. "Well, good luck with that."

"Thank you," Vince told her. "I'm gonna win, I just know it. I can feel it in my bones and I'm _never_ wrong about these things."

* * *

 _It was nice meeting you, Sam. I was just introduced to your girlfriend Addie at the bar. Have a nice life with her._

"Oh, fuck!" Sam muttered, just as he got inside Damon's house later that night after his gig and he was finally able to check his messages, one in particular sticking out. "Well, that's just great!"

"What is it?" Annie asked, trying to look at what he was cussing about.

"My old girlfriend came to town while Leslie was covering my shift at the bar tonight," Sam explained. "Apparently, she didn't play nice and Leslie wants to break up with me now." He quickly texted her some reassuring words, but he was skeptical if they would work. "She didn't even give me a chance to explain. She's lost her damn mind, let me tell you."

It was then that his phone rang and he swore loudly when he saw it was Leslie, but answered anyway. "What?" He snapped. "I thought you didn't want to talk to me anymore. I thought you wanted to end things without giving me a chance to explain."

"Well, I'm giving you one now, you idiot," Leslie explained. "So either tell me what's going on with you and that girl or just let me be! I just got over being in a very vulnerable place and I'd hate to think that the man who pulled me out of it would put me in a situation that pulls me back in."

"For starters, did Addie tell you she was still interested in being with me?" Sam asked. "Cause from what I remember, when we chose to end things, she didn't seem too keen on trying again."

"Well, she didn't say anything," Leslie admitted. "Roxie told me that you and her daughter had been together once, and I just assumed that the reason why she came back was to start over with you. She didn't think too much of me."

"And that's where you went wrong and got stupid ideas into your head," Sam replied. "How could you think that I would want to be with someone other than you, especially if that someone was my ex?"

"Oh, so now you think I'm stupid," Leslie huffed. "Well, that's real nice. I wouldn't want you to have to be with someone you think so little of. I release you from any relationship promises. Goodbye. Unless you want to apologize, then I'll be at my father's." There was a sound to indicate that the call ended, and Sam swore as he put his phone back in his pocket and stared at his father and Annie.

"Let me guess," he said warily. "You heard all that?"

"Yeah," Annie nodded. "She was shouting kind of loud."

"Just a tip," Damon added. "Telling someone they're stupid is not a good way to calm them down when they're upset."

"I didn't say she was stupid!" Sam corrected. "I said she had stupid ideas in her head about me and Addie. That's totally different."

"Apparently Leslie didn't think so," Damon remarked. "So…are you gonna go to Malachai's and try and win her back?"

"Yeah," Sam scoffed. "Of course!"

Damon and Annie looked at one another and grinned. "We're coming too, then," Annie remarked. "It's been a while since I've seen my father and Helene and I would not miss this for the world!"

* * *

"Annie!" Helene exclaimed when she opened the door and saw Annie and Damon on the other side with a very grouchy Sam. "And Damon! How are you two?" She thought about asking Sam how he felt too, but that was written clearly all over his face.

"We're good," Annie remarked. "How are you? Sorry I haven't visited in a while."

"Oh, that's all right," Helene remarked. "I know you're busy and it's nice to see you now. Your sister Jill, on the other hand…it's been a while since I talked to her. I hope nothing bad has happened. Although she was coerced into going to live with a lunatic who will eventually kill her, so I don't have good feelings."

"It's nice to see you," Sam told her. "And I don't mean to interrupt you or change the subject, but…is Leslie here? She and I need to have a talk."

"I'm sure you do," Helene agreed. "She and Malachai are in her room and she's been muttering unflattering things about you for a bit."

"I'm sure she has been," Sam agreed. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go talk some sense into her."

"Do you know where her room is?" Helene called after him as he stormed off.

"No," Sam replied. "But I'll find it, don't worry."

* * *

When he found the room and let himself inside, Malachai immediately stood up from his spot on the bed where he and Leslie had been talking and excused himself.

"Why are you leaving?" She protested. "I can't be alone in here with him!"

"I think you need to talk to him more than you need to talk to me," Malachai said firmly before making a run for it.

"All right, now that we're here, if you want to talk, shouldn't you close the door so we can have privacy?" Leslie asked Sam.

"Not if you're gonna yell so loud that people are gonna hear anyway," Sam remarked, but humored her and closed the door anyway. "All right. I've explained about me and Addie, so what's the damn problem?"

"I told you!" Leslie shouted. "And if you're such an insensitive clod that you don't understand it, I just…I don't even know what you want me to say."

They continued to yell, but what they didn't know was that Malachai had decided to invite all the other coven kids and their significant others over since so many of them were there already. They didn't have to think of a way to amuse themselves; they just fixed up some bowls of popcorn and listened to Sam and Leslie yell at each other.

"'Insensitive clod'; that was a real hit below the belt," Malachai said to Percy. "Don't you think?"

"Well, seeing as how we don't know what made her so hurt, I really don't feel comfortable judging," Percy replied.

"I do," Stephanie said. "I've heard a lot about Sam from my dad and with the way he and his dad treat women, no wonder Leslie is hurt."

It was just as this was said that Annie and Damon came back from getting something out of their car. "What's going on?" Annie asked and grabbed some popcorn. "Did I miss anything?"

"Leslie just called Sam an insensitive clod," William answered her as Lucy sat beside him, sketching and clicking her tongue in disapproval.

Then there was a crash and they all jumped. "What the hell was that?" Lucy cried as she dropped her sketchbook and clung tightly to William. "I hope no one was hurt!"

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Sam yelled. "What were you trying to prove by busting a hole in your bedroom wall with your magic?"

"Why do I have to prove anything?" Leslie yelled back. They could all imagine her crossing her arms and scowling. "I'm _so_ tired of always having to explain myself to you. Maybe it would be better if we just broke up!"

Everyone in the living room looked at each other and went "Oooooh!"

"I don't believe this!" Sam cried. "Something happened that you aren't telling me. Would you at least be honest?"

"Okay," Leslie cried. "I'm just so damn bored! I want a real man now! With a real job, not someone who drinks himself to death by day and plays his little guitar at night!"

"That's it!" Damon cried and started to get up. "She crossed a line. I'm gonna go give her a piece of my mind!"

"No, you're not," Annie remonstrated and pulled at him. "You sit down!"

Things were silent then. The only sound was the munching of popcorn and the hum of the air conditioner. After several minutes of this silence, Percy said, "Maybe someone should go and check to make sure neither of them is dead."

"I will," Lucy volunteered.

"Be careful," William cautioned. "Want me to come with you?"

"No, thanks," Lucy told him. "I'll be fine." She then made her way down the hallway, wondering which door was the right one cause they all looked the same.

Then, she heard it: The whisper of "So you want a real man, hmmm?" Then a loud moan and the smacking of lips. Then a pause and Leslie's voice sounded.

"You are so disgusting!" She cried. Lucy couldn't see it, but she was angrily wiping her mouth as she tried to get distance between herself and Sam. "That's the last straw! I want out of this whole mess of a relationship!"

"You might, but honestly, I don't give a fuck," Sam cried. "You'll be making the biggest mistake of your life!"

"Oh, no I will not!" Leslie shot back.

Just then, Annie appeared behind Lucy and whispered, "What's going on?"

"I think they were kissing for a bit," Lucy replied. "But obviously, now they're fighting again."

"I don't get what the problem is!" Sam said for what seemed like the thousandth time. "If you're upset about Addie, how much clearer do I have to make it that we're not together anymore before it gets through that thick blonde head of yours?"

Then Annie heard Malachai's voice in her ear. "So were they kissing?"

"Yes," Annie replied. "They were. Now stop asking me questions so I can hear!"

"If my head is so thick and you think I'm a moron, your old girlfriend's at Roxie's now," Leslie shot back. "Since I'm the alternative, maybe she won't look so bad once you see her again."

"Who came home?" Malachai asked Annie through her earpiece. "Did it get mentioned and we missed it?"

"It was probably Roxie's daughter Addie," Helene told him. "She and Sam used to be a thing a long time ago."

"Ah," Malachai told her. "Thanks."

"No problem," Helene answered.

"If Addie's back, I'll go say 'Hi' to her because it's polite," Sam said. "She probably only came to visit her parents. I don't see what that has to do with us."

"I met her," Leslie repeated. "And she's a brunette. I've seen the girls you've taken to bed after your gigs. You like brunettes."

Sam laughed at this and rolled his eyes toward the ceiling. "Yeah," he said when he locked eyes with her again. "I love brunettes so much that I came all the way here to talk some sense into a blonde that I love even though she's driving me insane!"

Annie heard some laughter from the living room and an "Awww!" at Sam's declaration.

"Well, I wouldn't want to burden you if I'm making your life so unpleasant," Leslie told him. "It's really not all that flattering, to be honest. Go back to your brunette. Go back to Addie."

"Damn it, no!" Sam cried. "I don't know how much clearer I can make this. I don't want her or any other brunette. Damn it Leslie, I want _you!_ I don't care how many damn times I have to say it for you to get the message. I. Want. You!"

"Did he just say he wanted her?" Percy asked Annie. "That's so sweet!"

"He's got an awful lot of patience," William added. They all had their own earpieces connected to Annie's, which was how they were able to hear Annie and what was going on near her.

"It's a shame you're telling me this now," Leslie continued. "Cause it…it's just not possible for us anymore."

Sam growled. "That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard anyone say in my entire life. I get it: you've been through a lot. You're a bit nervous about trusting someone and even I admit that I'm a bit of a risk for someone like you. But if you want to be so stubborn and set in your ways and your perceptions of me that you can't see how hard I'm falling for you…I guess that's your problem, not mine."

Annie waited for some remark from the living room, but there was silence.

Then a grunt. "Yeah, you're falling for me," Leslie yelled. "Falling on your ass, that is!"

"Did something just happen to Sam?" Damon asked. "I hope he wasn't hurt."

"Oh, it's not like he's a toddler," Annie told him. "I'm sure he'll manage."

"I can't believe you just pushed me on the floor!" Sam yelled. "That's not the way to treat a person. Especially when they're trying to tell you that they're in love with you despite all the bullshit you're putting them through!" He was breathing heavily now.

Leslie stared at him. She was skeptical still, then something about the look in his eyes and the sound of his voice, how he never wavered in his say, began to bring her around.

"She better tell him that she loves him too after all that," Damon grouched in Annie's ear.

"Oh, I'm sure she will," Helene told him. "Just give her a minute."

"Or we could go and get her," Caleb offered from the spot on the floor next to Patrick and Todd. They'd been silent cause Leslie was handling things well, but they were always ready to defend her.

Sam saw her change in look and got his hopes up, then she shook her head. "I-I don't love you," she told him, her voice quavering cause she'd very nearly given in to him. "And I…I want out."

"Fine," Sam replied, feeling intensely angry and embarrassed because of all the feelings he'd exposed for no reason. "Fine, you can be out. I wouldn't want to keep you where you don't wanna be."

"That's the most sensible thing you said all day," Leslie told him.

Then Annie and Lucy quickly moved out of the way, barely avoiding being hit by the door as Leslie flung it open and stormed out with Sam on her heels. "What are you two doing here?" He asked.

"Oh, um…." Lucy and Annie looked at one another. "I was helping Lucy find the bathroom," Annie quickly improvised. "Sometimes, navigating this place can be tricky."

Then, once the pair was gone, Annie cried, "They're coming this way. Try and look like you weren't eavesdropping, everyone!"

* * *

It was because of this warning that the whole group in the living room all made more or less successful attempts to look like they were doing something else (watching TV, playing cards, eating, chatting, looking out the window) by the time Sam found them. But they looked at him and Leslie in spite of themselves.

"Stop staring!" Sam ordered. "Don't you people have lives? Mind your own business!" He then left, slamming the door behind him, and leaving Damon and Annie to look at one another in dismay when they realized that he took the car and they'd have to use Annie's magic to get home.


	62. Time For Some Action

"Well, look who finally found time to come and visit me," Victoria said as Kai came through the door. "What have you been doing that has made you so busy you couldn't even call me?"

"To put it simply, Vicky," Kai replied, "John got drunk and got himself wrapped around a tree."

"Is he dead?" Victoria's eyes lit up. "Does that mean that we just get to live our lives and have our next child without you having to work for him anymore?"

"Sadly, no," Kai shook his head. "Not only is he still alive, he's extremely pissed off because he tried to make things up with Freya, she didn't go for it, and humiliated him instead."

"I _would_ feel sorry for him, but I believe I'm siding with Freya this time around," Victoria remarked.

"So…any news regarding our project?" Kai asked. "Or do we need to just keep trying?"

"Is the second option a problem?" Victoria wanted to know.

"Well, of course not," Kai shook his head and picked her up. "Why would it be?"

"I didn't mean that it truly would be," Victoria replied. "I just…I know that this loyalty you have to John is a big part of it all, and I didn't want us to start trying for a baby, and then getting interrupted cause John needs you for something."

"Ah, I understand," Kai nodded. "I don't think we'll have to worry about him for a while. Freya really put him through the wringer so that he felt unmanly and humiliated, and he just wanted to be left alone after that."

"Good," Victoria nodded. "Okay. Now that we have that under control, how do you want to do this?"

"Quickly," Kai replied and then zapped himself naked before pulling at her clothes. "It's been a while for us, hasn't it? Does that affect you as much as it affects me?"

"Of course," Victoria nodded as she stripped down and Kai grabbed her and began kissing her neck before backing her onto the bed. "I guess I'm just lucky enough to be able to ignore my urges until they can be dealt with properly."

Kai laid her down and handcuffed her wrists over her head before parting her legs and pleasuring her with his tongue until, based on the sounds she was making, he could tell that she was very close to climaxing. Then he got back up on his knees and loomed over her, grinning before he leaned down to kiss her while burying himself inside her over and over again. "You haven't started taking your pills or anything have you?" He asked.

"No," Victoria shook her head, her breasts heaving as she groaned and her hips bucked. "I see that having some time off hasn't made you lose any skill."

"Of course not," Kai panted after a little while longer as he pulled out of her and collapsed next to her. "Why would you say that?"

"Well, I don't know," Victoria replied as he helped her out of the cuffs and she rolled onto her stomach, pushing some strands of damp hair out of her eyes as he grinned and bit her bottom. "Some people get out of step if they don't do it often."

"Not me," Kai shook his head and gave her a spanking. "I'm still good." He cleared his throat. "How have you been occupying your time while waiting for me?"

"I've had lots to do," Victoria replied. "Keeping up the morale for Mom and Grandma has been absolutely essential since Grandpa and Dad kidnapped Daisy's fiancé. I hope they figure out something to do with him soon and come home. I can only be so supportive. They love me and stuff, but I'm no Dad or Grandpa Kol."

"Do you think it would cheer them up if I paid them a visit?" Kai asked. "I mean, I'm not much different from the men they're used to."

"Maybe that could do some good," Victoria agreed. "But we won't do it now. Since you just got here, this is where we're gonna be until I decide we should leave." She took his face in her hands and kissed him. "Got it?"

"Yes, I do, Vicky," Kai nodded and nuzzled her neck. "And may I say, I really like your style."

* * *

"Thanks for keeping me company," Margot said to Regina as they sat by their phones at Kol and Margot's waiting for the day their husbands would call and tell them that since they had their money and had had their fun, they would come home now and bring Daisy's fiancé with them.

"Oh, it's no problem," Regina replied. "I know Declan's having his fun, but I just…I really miss him and I wish they would come home just as much as you do."

Then Regina's phone rang. "Hello?" She asked, snatching it up from the table. "Declan, you better be calling to say that you're getting your ass home any day now. I can't handle being by myself anymore. I'm really bored!"

"Grandma, it's me, Finn," Finn told her. "I just wanted to let you know that Grandpa Declan called Daisy and said that her fiancé was dead and they'd be back home soon."

"But why did they need to kill him?" Regina asked, her blue eyes troubled. "That wasn't really necessary."

"Yes, it was," Daisy added, knowing what she'd said because they were on speaker and she could hear everything. "If he was coming home alive, I would still have to marry him and that would defeat the whole purpose of this exercise, wouldn't it? Mom and Dad are _so_ mad. First, Clarissa gets married so they can't have an arranged marriage for her, then my fiancé is kidnapped and killed. Stroke of good luck for us, but bad for them."

"So does that mean you and Finn will marry soon?" Margot asked after Regina set the phone between them and put it on speaker for their side as well.

"Yes," Daisy told her. "I mean, we're discussing it, anyway. We might as well. It's not like my parents would be in the mood to take me in if I tried to go back home."

"Or that you'd actually wanna go if they _did_ offer you your room back," Finn added. "Do you wanna just get married? That would make things easy, wouldn't it? And we already have a place to live, so it's not like we'd have to move in with Mom and Dad." Finn paused. "What do you think?"

"Well, if you've talked about it and you're ready, I don't see why you shouldn't marry by now," Margot said. "I mean, when your sister moved in with Adrian, she didn't put half as much thought into the choice as you two are doing, and it seems to be working out well for her. And if you're happy living together, personally, I would say marriage is the next logical step if that's what the two of you want."

"I do!" Daisy said. Then there was a pause. "Finn, do you?" She asked. "Will you marry me?"

"Of course!" Finn told her. "I'm so glad you asked!"

They then told Regina and Margot goodbye and the two women stared at one another. "Now your dad definitely has to come back," Margot said. "I'm not going to a wedding alone."

"Well, we can always go together if we have to," Regina replied.

"Actually, I'd be more than happy to go with you," Margot said and took her daughter's hand. "That wouldn't be a chore at all. I think it would be fun."

It was then that the door opened and Kol called out, "We're finally home, darlings! Why don't you give us a good welcome?"

Regina and Margot ran to the door and threw themselves into their husbands' arms.

"Finny's getting married," Regina told Declan after kissing him. "If you and Dad are tired and don't want to go to the wedding, I'm sure Finn and Daisy will understand. Mom and I will just go together to represent the family."

"No, I want to go," Declan replied. "After all that work, I think I'd like dressing up and doing something nice."

"You would?" Regina asked in surprise. She knew her dad was all right with dressing up, but it was never something she'd associated with her father.

"Yes," Declan nodded, faking a hurt tone. "I have a part of myself that likes being well-dressed."

"Good," Margot nodded as she kissed Kol one more time and then let him go. "You two probably want to shower and rest after all you've been through, right?"

"Yeah, that would be nice," Kol nodded. "And if we're going to get a lecture about what we did, can it wait until tomorrow?"

"You're not going to get a lecture," Margot promised.

"Not from me either," Regina added. "Just go and shower and relax. You've done a lot. You deserve a rest."

"Why don't you come with us to shower?" Kol asked. "Why don't you and I go first and then Regina and Declan can go, Margot?"

"Sure," Margot nodded, pushing her red hair out of her eyes. "And then afterward, I can call Amy and tell her and Klaus that you've come back and we can update you on all the Phoenix stuff."

"Oh, yes," Kol said dryly. "Does the date of our murder come ever closer?"

"I think we're all right for now," Regina replied. "Victoria has been giving me news since Kai is working with the Phoenix. Apparently, he and your sister are at a difficult point now and she's moved in with your father and Gwen."

"Oh, you're kidding!" Kol cried. "My father's always been such a softie when it comes to Freya. I don't know why that shocks me. Maybe we can use their difficulty for our own personal gain. This could be good!"

"You know, that's what I was thinking too," Margot replied. "But how should we do that?"

"And what can Declan and I do to help?" Regina added, taking her husband's hand.

"I don't know at the moment," Kol shook his head. "But maybe I'll think of something in the shower. I always think better when I've been properly stimulated."

"Is that so?" Margot asked dryly as she and Kol made their way to the bathroom, started the shower, and undressed. "I can't wait to see what you come up with."

* * *

After Christian had showed up in Junior's room, Junior and Sarah had decided that she would spend just as much time at her parents' house as she did at his. Sarah balked at the idea at first, but then things got better with a little help from her sister.

"Daddy, it's really not so bad, what's going on with Sarah," Selina tried to reason with Matthew. "I know there are still people that judge based on that, but Sarah doesn't care about them. All she cares about is that you love her. Do you?"

"Well, of course!" Matthew replied as he hugged Sarah. "When I heard about that boy showing up in Junior's room, I was terrified for her."

"Thanks, but you didn't need to worry about me," Sarah assured her father. "He didn't even know I was there."

"What guy?" Selina asked.

"Sean says his name is Christian and he's his half-brother because they were both fathered by that Phoenix guy," Sarah replied. "I don't know more than that, though."

"You don't suppose you could get Junior to talk to him again, could you?" Selina asked. "Cause he would have just the sort of information that we need to defend ourselves against whatever his father has in mind."

"Well, I could ask, sure, but I don't know how well it would work. Their first meeting wasn't exactly chummy," Sarah told her.

"That's a start," Selina told her. "Thanks."

* * *

"Selina wanted me to ask you to talk to your brother Christian," Sarah said to Junior as they drove back to Liam and Mary's that night. "She thinks that he might have some idea what John is up to and that Christian would talk to you and tell you what that is."

"Well, I don't know about that," Junior told her. "I don't know him very well. I don't even know where he lives."

"Ask John," Sarah suggested. "He would know."

"I'm not talking to that idiot," Junior said firmly. "I don't want to have anything to do with him."

"You wouldn't have to spend _a lot_ of time with him," Sarah told him and began massing his scalp. "Just long enough to get information. A short phone call at most."

"No," Junior shook his head.

"Fine," Sarah said. "If you won't do it, I will."

* * *

"Remember me?" She asked when John opened his front door and saw her standing on his doorstep.

"Yes," John replied grumpily. "You're my son Sean's girlfriend, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am," Sarah nodded. "I just came to ask if you knew where your son Christian lived? Junior and I were thinking about making friends with them."

John looked her over and chuckled to himself as she hiccuped, disappeared, and showed up on the steps again. "Nice outfit," he said, motioning at her empire-waist dress.

"Thank you," Sarah replied. "Now, are you gonna tell me where Christian lives or not?"

"Of course, come in!" John told her. "I'm so sorry I was rude enough to let a pregnant woman just stand on my doorstep."

Sarah automatically put a hand to her stomach. "How did you know I'm pregnant?" She asked.

"I know lots of things," John said. "Now come in."

Her stomach twisting, Sarah followed John inside and they both sat down in his sitting room. "Can I offer you some tea?" He asked.

"No thanks," Sarah shook her head. "I'm not really thirsty. I'd just like Christian's address and then I'll be out of your house."

John made a noise in his throat as he realized that this girl was not stupid and wouldn't fall for any of his tricks. He wrote down Christian's address and held it out to her, but as she reached for it, he pulled it away. "Before I give this to you, you have to promise to do one thing for me," he said.

"What?" Sarah asked tiredly, pushing her dark hair out of her eyes. "What do you want?"

"I want to know why Sean hasn't talked to me in so long," John said. "Get him to talk to me. Promise you'll do that and you'll get this address."

"Fine," Sarah replied and then quickly snatched it out of his hand and zapped herself out of his house before he could say anything else, and headed home to hand the address to Junior.

* * *

"After all I went through to get this, you better go and talk to him," she grouched and lay down on their bed.

"I can't believe you actually went to John's house and got him to give this to you," Junior told her in amazement. "What did you have to do for him in return?"

"I had to agree that you would talk to him," Sarah replied. "But you can choose how to do that. It's not my affair."

"I guess I should have seen that coming," Junior sighed and kissed her. "I'm glad you're safe. I would have just…it would have been horrible if something had happened to you while you were with him. I never would have forgiven myself."

"Oh, stop," Sarah said, blushing as a lump filled her throat. "Go and get me some crackers, would you please?"

"Sure," Junior smiled and then looked down at Christian's address before putting it on the bedside table. "I'll be back in a minute."


	63. The Power Of No

"Wow, you actually came," Christian said in amazement when he opened his apartment door and saw Sarah and Junior on the other side. "I didn't think you would."

"Well, why not?" Junior replied. "I'm having problems with John and really, I think you're the only person who would understand them."

"Oh, I definitely would," Christian assured him. "I've been having problems with John since I was born." They sat down and he said, "So what's going on? What did you want to talk to me about? Other than Father, I mean?"

"Well, I thought you would know what John's broader plan for everything is," Junior explained. "And since you and he aren't on the best of terms, maybe you could tell me what that plan is so I could tell my grandmother and the others who are fighting against him and give them a sporting chance?" He waited for Christian to smile and start talking, but for some reason, that's not what happened.

"Why should I help you?" Christian asked instead.

"I thought that would be obvious," Junior told him. "Why are you hesitating about this? He's mistreating you too, isn't he?"

"Well, yes," Christian agreed. "But you want me to tell you how to destroy Father. How can I trust that once I do, you won't destroy me too? I bet you and yours see me as the enemy just like him."

"We won't if you help us," Junior told him. "I swear. We'd have to be pretty big morons to bite the hand that feeds us."

"Well, I should hope so," Christian nodded, still not entirely convinced. "Cause if you found a way to kill me and carried through with it, it wouldn't be just my blood you would have on your hands."

"Oh?" Junior raised an eyebrow. "Just who else is there?"

Christian then called for Jill, who strode in, looking somewhat frustrated. "This is Jill," Christian introduced her. "She's carrying my baby at the moment." He smiled and went to stand next to her. "You want to greet my brother and his girlfriend?" He asked.

It was then that Jill pointed at her throat and shook her head while waving her hands wildly from side to side. "Are you trying to tell me you can't talk?" Christian sighed wearily. "Why that potion of Father's couldn't deal with the magical side effects of pregnancy too, I'll never know."

"Does John know that you and Jill are expecting a baby?" Junior asked.

"No," Christian shook his head. "And I hope you wouldn't tell him."

"Oh, we wouldn't," Sarah assured him immediately. "Cause I'm expecting too. We're in the same boat."

This made Jill smile and give Sarah a hug. It was so nice to finally have someone to talk to about this so she didn't just have to deal with it herself! She happily pulled Sarah off into another room, leaving Christian and Junior to talk amongst themselves.

"You can trust me," Junior told his brother. "I can protect you and your child if you promise to help protect mine."

"I understand that," Christian told him. "I know what you're saying and I know you mean well, but…I just don't think I can risk it."

"I don't believe this!" Junior huffed. "I should have no reason to trust you at all, but I am. I'm offering to protect someone who could very well turn on me. I'm going on an act of faith here. Why can't you?"

Christian narrowed his eyes. "So I'm supposed to get on my knees and thank and praise you cause the perfect, good, and selfless hero is giving me the courtesy of trusting me, even though I'm a terrible person who could turn on him at any minute? Did you really think about that speech before it came out of your mouth? Cause it's not helping your case."

"Wait a minute, stop," Junior said after taking a deep breath. "We have to stop this. We can't be fighting."

"Why not?" Christian asked. "I'm not allowed to say anything if you make me feel threatened?"

"Well, I can't stop you," Junior told him. "But don't you see? That's what John wants! He hates me for not playing ball, so making me look like a bad guy in your eyes is another way he's making you a tool. The only way we can beat him at his own game is to work together! Plus I think Sarah and Jill are enjoying their bonding and would kill us if our fighting tore them apart. They're sisters, just like we're brothers. Don't forget that. It's important."

Christian stared at him for a long time, and then, seeing the sincerity in Junior's eyes, finally convinced him that his brother had a point. "I agree," he said at last. "And I…I think it's really brave how you're standing up to Father. I wish I could be like that."

"There's a way you could be," Junior told him. "Help me. Help us. Make Father lose. That would be pretty brave."

"But what about…what about Jill and Sarah?" Christian wanted to know. "What would our acting out against Father mean for them? Or our children? Nothing good. Is it selfish to possibly be risking our children's lives to spite our Father?"

"Maybe," Junior nodded. "We're stuck. Either we don't strike out against Father for our children's sake and stay in his servitude for their safety which, knowing him, might not even be guaranteed, or we stand up for ourselves and kick his ass. Which one would you prefer?"

"Kick his ass," Christian said firmly and shook his brother's hand. "There's no other choice, is there?"

* * *

"Hey, Uncle Malachai," Kai greeted his uncle as he popped in to Malachai and Helene's unannounced. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing much different from before," Malachai replied. "Having one horrifying thought after another about what John could be up to." He paused. "Is that what you came here for? To tell me, since you're working for him?"

"No, I just came for a visit," Kai explained and then headed for the kitchen for a few minutes and then returning with a sandwich. "However, John is still recovering from a car accident and begging Freya to come nurse him back to health, which is probably why he won't heal himself, even though he could very easily. It's very amusing how pathetic it all is."

"Well, what luck!" Malachai explained with a smile. "If John has to focus on getting on Freya's good side, that doesn't leave a lot of room for making troublesome plans, does it?"

"No, I wouldn't think so," Kai shook his head. "You can rest at ease, at least for now."

"Well, that's something of a weight off my mind," Malachai told him. "Thank you for letting me know. I'll go tell Helene so she can tell her mother."

"And that's it?" Kai asked. "I come to visit you, you use me for my information, and then up and leave me here by myself? It's that family warmth I've always cherished."

"Oh, you actually want to visit?" Malachai asked. "I…for some reason it didn't register that you were serious about that."

"I do," Kai nodded.

So they sat down and Malachai asked, "Are you and Victoria still working on having another child? Has your mother promised not to interfere this time?"

"Thankfully, I think she's so busy messing with John this time around that that won't be an issue," Kai said. "And yes, we are. Did you know Finn is thinking of marrying his girlfriend Daisy? Regina called Victoria to tell her. But why they told Regina before they told us…I don't know why, and frankly, I'm hurt."

"But you _did_ find out," Malachai reminded him. "Even if it was second hand. And of course they're gonna have you be part of the wedding, aren't they?"

"I would hope so," Kai nodded. "You would think that one snub would be enough and they wouldn't go for two. And stop trying to be reasonable with me. You sound just like Vicky."

"Well, this is a pleasant visit," Malachai told him and stood up. "I'm gonna go tell Helene all the stuff you told me about John and you just stew in your anger and eat your sandwich, okay?"

"Okay," Kai nodded. "I think I can do that."

* * *

"You guys are getting _married_?" Clarissa asked as Daisy told her of the decision she and Finn had made. "How are you gonna do it? Are you gonna run off to Vegas like Drew and I did? And if so, we'll be your witnesses."

"Well, it's something we want to keep small, that's for sure," Daisy replied. "And we should probably do it quickly before Mom and Dad decide to kidnap me or find some other horrible man for me to be engaged to."

"Oh, I understand that, believe me," Clarissa replied. "Do it as soon as possible. That's a good bit of instinct. And whether you want us there or not, just let us know. I'm so happy for you."

"How sweet," Daisy told her. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Clarissa replied.

Daisy then ended the call and ran back into Finn's arms. "That was my sister," she explained. "She's happy for us and asked if we want her and Drew to be our witnesses."

"Well, they can be there," Finn agreed. "But I think we should invite my parents too, since we told Grandma before we told them and now that I've had time to think about it, I feel like we committed a faux pas."

"Sure they can be there," Daisy nodded. "I like your parents. So the people who will be at our wedding are your parents, and Drew and Clarissa-"

"And my grandparents," Finn added. "Since we told them first, I think it would be rude not to invite them."

"True," Daisy agreed. "Eight people plus us. You want to ask Adrian and Molly too?"

"We don't have to," Finn shook his head. "Let's just stick with the eight and then have a reception for everyone else after, since this wedding has some urgency to it and we don't exactly have time to spend hashing out seating charts."

"You have a point," Daisy agreed. "A _very_ good point."

* * *

A few days later, the very small wedding party headed to the courthouse where they filled out the initial forms and then nervously waited their turn for their number to be called.

"This is so exciting!" Daisy told Clarissa as she squeezed her hand. "I know it's not fancy, but…I like it so much better!"

"That's because it's not about the cake or the fancy venue or the gazillion dollar dress like it would have been if our parents were in charge," Clarissa explained. "You're not getting married for spectacle. You're getting married because you love someone and want to spend the rest of your life with them."

"That's very profound," Drew chuckled as he kissed her. "How did you get to be so wise?"

"Oh, I don't know," Clarissa said as she reached up to play with his dark hair. "Personal experience, I guess."

Then Kai cleared his throat and nudged Finn forward a bit. "I think they just called your number, you two."

"I can't believe our little boy is getting married!" Victoria gushed in a whisper. "This is so wonderful! You think Molly and Adrian will do something like this at some point?"

"If they do, it will be weird for him to ask me to be his best man," Kai remarked.

Meanwhile, Declan and Regina and Kol and Margot just talked amongst themselves until everyone was standing in front of the judge.

"Did you write your own vows?" He asked Finn and Daisy.

"Yes," Finn cleared his throat. "We did." Then, he got down on one knee and took her hand. "I know I didn't propose to you in the most romantic way," he said. "I know that a lot of our relationship has been weird and rocky. Hell, when we first met, it was because I broke into your house and then you and Clarissa beat me up and sicced your dogs on me because you thought I was an intruder."

"You were an intruder," Daisy smiled. "And you didn't even look like this. I like this face better, though."

"My decision to break into your house that night was one of necessity. The long stay was because I thought annoying you was fun, and because for some strange reason, you didn't do the most you could to kick me out," Finn continued. "I've always wondered why that was. Would you tell me?"

"I know it didn't seem like it at first," Daisy took up the vows. "But when you showed up at our house, I didn't mind having you there. You were a rare novelty in my life. You frustrated me, you annoyed me, and you didn't do a thing I said. I might have seemed mad, but it was because you were the first person who'd ever been brave enough to tell me 'No' before, and I didn't know how to handle it. You've just been one challenge after another for me, saving me from a life of boredom that my parents thought would be compensated for by money, fancy stuff, and a big house. But they were wrong. You showed me that. You showed me the power of saying 'No' at the right time. That sometimes it's okay. You made me a better person. And that's why I said 'Yes' to you. Thank you, Finn. I love you."

"I love you too, Daisy," he said as they collapsed into each other's arms and both Regina and Margot burst into tears.

When things had calmed down, the rest of the vows were said, and as the judge pronounced them man and wife, Finn and Daisy held their hands up in triumph before Daisy went to call her parents and tell them what she'd done.


	64. One Can't Be Without The Other

"Oh, that poor girl," Helene sighed as she and Malachai tried to get some rest. Ever since Leslie and Sam had had their little spat (well, actually, based on Leslie's reaction, it was more than a _little_ spat), she'd been inconsolable, although to spare her pride, everyone pretended not to notice when she was around. "I can't believe she's having so much trouble dealing with this Sam thing that all she does at night is cry."

"I wonder why William hasn't gone in to her room to help her?" Malachai asked. "He's closer to her than we are."

"Probably because he can't hear her," Helene scoffed. "He did some magic with the earphones of his music player so he can put them in his ears and block the noise out."

"That's being a considerate brother, all right," Malachai sighed and gave Helene a kiss. "Since you have work tomorrow and need your sleep, I'll go talk to her. You stay here."

"All right," Helene nodded and pulled the covers over her head. "Thank you, honey."

* * *

But when she saw Leslie next, it was clear that whatever Malachai had said hadn't worked. "Still not feeling good, huh?" She asked and put an arm around Leslie before she left for school.

"No, I'm not," Leslie shook her head and tried not to let the tears flow again because she didn't want to be red-faced and puffy-eyed at school. "I lost Sam. I didn't think it would hurt so much, but it has." She rubbed her eyes and clenched her jaw, saying, "Look, I know I'm annoying people with how upset I am. Thank you for being so patient with me."

"It's no trouble," Helene assured her. "Lots of people feel like this at one point or another. It's not just you." She paused. "Maybe this weekend, you should try and sit outside in the sun and get some fresh air. Go to the park. Play on that little playground. The change of scenery might help get your mind on something else."

"I'm not so sure about that," Leslie said. "But I know I can't be like this forever, both for my sake and everyone else's. So at this point, I'm willing to try anything that might help."

"That's a good attitude," Helene said and gave her a tight hug. "Have a good day at school, all right?"

"I will," Leslie assured her and opened the front door to step outside. "And thank you for the pep talk. I know it seems like it doesn't help, but it does."

"Good," Helene took her hand and gave it a squeeze. "I'm very happy to hear that."

* * *

Because she was sad about their break-up, Leslie kept her distance from the bar. That made Sam sad because it meant that he had to look at Addie instead of her every day. Not that he bore Addie any ill will of course. It's just that she wasn't Leslie.

One day while he was sweeping the floors, he noticed that Addie kept sneaking looks at him from her bar stool while she drank some white wine and then looked away when he tried to meet her eyes. "What the hell are you doing?" He asked, honestly dumbfounded. "This isn't some weird new flirting method, is it?"

"No, I just…" Addie blushed and put her wine down. "I noticed you've been kind of down, and I wanted to ask why, but I didn't want to seem like I was intruding, either. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Sam replied, barely putting his arms around her and then letting her go. "You?"

"Fine," Addie nodded.

"Good," Sam said and went behind the bar to stock shelves so he wouldn't embarrass himself any further. But that didn't help. He heard her laugh anyway.

"What's so funny?" He asked. "Will you stop laughing?"

"It's just that…I can really tell you're thinking about that blonde friend of yours but acting like nobody sees. You're doing a terrible job of hiding it and doing all the work in the bar in the world won't make those feelings go away. Why don't you talk to her?" Addie questioned. "It'll make you feel better."

"No, it won't," Sam snapped. "Cause despite what you think, I really don't give a fuck about her and any idea that I do is part of your messed up imagination." He grabbed her wine glass and held it out of her reach. "How much of this have you had? Maybe you shouldn't have any more. I'm cutting you off."

"I'm not drunk," Addie said, looking offended. "I'm trying to help you. And I would think that you could show a little more appreciation for my efforts."

"Why should I be grateful that you're sticking your nose in where it doesn't belong?" Sam shot back. "If I wanted to be with Leslie, I would be with Leslie. But she says she wants to be with a 'real man'. And for some reason, I don't qualify. What kind of a man would I be if I didn't let her have what she wanted, even I think it's wrong?"

"Wow," Addie said, her voice hushed and her gaze shocked. "I've never seen you so passionate about anything before. Or any _one_. That means something. Not that you'll listen to me cause of how stubborn you are. But I hope that in time, you get your head out of your butt and see that Leslie is the right woman for you. I'm sure that when she said she wanted a real man, she didn't mean it. I bet you did something to piss her off and she was just lashing out. That can be fixed, you know. But you have to talk to her first."

Sam narrowed his eyes and went behind the bar. "If I let you have a drink, will you stop talking to me about Leslie, please? I'll work it out in my own time. I don't need any prodding from you."

"Fine," Addie said to herself. "If I can't get him to see reason, I'll just have to work on Leslie instead, won't I?"

* * *

After she finished her drink, Addie decided that since it was the weekend and a nice day, she could take a stroll and get some fresh air. She walked a mile or so to the nearest park and then paused. There were many families out playing Frisbee or running around with their dogs, but one person didn't seem to fit the jolly environment: a certain blonde, sitting on a park bench, sobbing her eyes out as she surrounded herself with wadded up white tissue.

"Hey," she said, after getting close enough to confirm that it was Leslie. "Mind if I sit?"

"Who's stopping you?" She sniffled. "You took Sam; you might as well take my park bench too." She got up. "Don't worry, I'll move."

"I was gonna ask if you were all right, but that would be a stupid question," Addie replied dryly, her blue eyes concerned. "You should stay; I think we need to talk."

After coaxing Leslie back onto the bench, Addie said, "I didn't take Sam. I don't have him. He's been really upset about you all day. I was at the bar watching him, believe me, I know. If you want him, you should go and get him. I'm in his past, I promise. And if you don't come back to him, then he'll have nobody and he deserves better than that, right?" She paused. "You do still want him, don't you?"

"Yes," Leslie nodded and cried on Addie's navy blouse. "I really screwed up, didn't I?"

"Not necessarily," Addie said and gently moved her. "It's like I told Sam: if you want each other back, you have to share your feelings. Be honest about how much you love each other, no matter how difficult it might be." She paused. "Do you need another tissue?"

"No, thanks," Leslie shook her head and took a deep breath. "I'm good." She paused. "Is it that obvious that I still have feelings for him? Helene told me it was. I suppose I haven't done a real good job of hiding it."

Addie smiled and put a hand on her shoulder. "Yeah, it is. But we can work with that."

"Are you sure?" Leslie asked. "Cause like I told you before, it's gonna take something really spectacular for me to get Sam back after how I treated him. Maybe even something really sexy. And that's not my thing."

"Don't worry about that," Addie assured her with a wink. "I have an idea. But like you say, it's really sexy. Are you okay with that? I wouldn't want you to do anything that would make you uncomfortable. It's hard to be alluring when you're embarrassed and your face is as red as a tomato. But then again, he really misses you too, so he might even find _that_ appealing."

"He does?" Leslie bounced up and down a little, a huge grin on her face. "You really mean that? You're not just saying it to make me feel better?"

"I'm really not," Addie assured her, shaking her head so that her dark hair went every which way. "It's kind of sad to watch, honestly."

"Well, if that's how things are, we need to change them!" Leslie told her, her demeanor suddenly very different. "What do you suggest we do?"

"I have an idea," Addie admitted. "But it's kind of…wicked. Are you okay with doing something wicked?"

"Yes," Leslie replied immediately. "I know it might not seem like it based on what you've seen of me, but I have a bit of a wicked side too."

"Perfect," Addie smiled and whispered the idea in her ear.

Leslie gasped. "With _just_ a guitar? Oh, my god!"

"Too much?" Addie wanted to know. "And we can skip the tattoo if you want."

"No, I want to do everything!" Leslie exclaimed. "Let's not skip any part of this! I can't wait to see Sam's face when he gets a look at me."

Addie chuckled. "Believe me, I can't wait either."


	65. Nothing But A Guitar And A Smile

**A/n: This chapter and the last one are presents for my wonderful friend Vero in honor of her birthday, which is today, May 13** **th** **. Happy birthday, sweetie! Enjoy!**

"I'm really not so sure about this tattoo idea," Leslie said to Addie as they went into Addie's friend's tattoo parlor. "And do I really have to get it on my butt?"

"That could be part of the seduction!" Addie told her. "You could tell him that you have a tattoo in a secret place and his job will be to find it. It'll really drive him wild!" When she still saw that Leslie was hesitating, she prompted, "You said you wanted him back after all that happened, didn't you? Well, sometimes you have to step out of your comfort zone to accomplish that."

"Oh, but he won't fall for it," Leslie told her as Addie urged her to slip off her panties and get on the table while the tattoo artist got his instruments ready. "He'll see it, he'll realize that it's something I'd never do, and then it will all be for nothing."

"The tattoo you're getting is not a wild one," Addie reminded her. "A heart with your and Sam's first initials in it. That will show him that you're committed, right? Cause tattoos are forever."

"I'll tell him he has to get one too," Leslie said, tensing up as she saw the man coming toward her with the wicked sharp thing that would make the tattoo. She shut her eyes and held Addie's hand tight. "I just hope he appreciates what I'm doing for him."

"And you're lucky Raymond here uses magic ink," Addie told her over her shouting in pain. "It'll make things heal up right away."

"Yeah, well, lucky me," Leslie told her through clenched teeth. "That's just wonderful."

* * *

Despite Addie's assurances of how successful the seduction would be, especially with the addition of a guitar of Sam's that she'd kept and just recently decided to return to him, when it came time to actually _do_ it, Leslie was still nervous.

"We are so lucky that Sam's father and my sister Annie are out for the night," she fretted. "It would be even more embarrassing for me if I knew that they knew I was sitting naked on their leather sofa. Some people are disgusted by that, you know."

"Stop sabotaging yourself," Addie ordered and looked her over while she blushed. "From what I see, you have nothing to be nervous about. You just sit there and place the guitar strategically so that certain places are covered up, and then you strum it. It might also be fun if you could sing to him too. Can you sing?"

"Yes, I can sing," Leslie replied. "That's one of the ways Sam and I first dealt with each other. We did duet performances at your mother's place."

"Good!" Addie rubbed her hands and chuckled. "I really can't wait to hear about Sam's reaction when he sees you."

"You'll be here to see it, right?" Leslie asked, eyes wide as panic rose up again. "You're not just gonna leave me here like this, are you?"

"This is a private moment between you and Sam," Addie reminded her. "Once things have started, I promise that you won't want me around to get in the way."

"All right," Leslie said, her voice doubtful. "If you're sure."

Addie humored her and stayed at her side until they heard Sam's car pull up and him singing to himself as he made his way up the garage stairs and to the front door. Then she smiled, waved, and said, "Good luck!" before disappearing.

Then, Leslie took a deep breath, shook out her hair, shifted the guitar, and strummed it after lowering the lights, just like Addie had suggested. And for her song, she picked an oldie from the sixties, "Lady Godiva" by British duo Peter and Gordon. As Sam called out that he was home, she sang as powerfully as she could, "Her long blonde hair hangin' down around her knees, all the cats who dig striptease, prayin' for a little breeze. Her long blonde hair falling down across her arms, hiding all the lady's charms, Lady Godiva…"

When Sam came upon her, his eyes were on the floor and he was muttering something about 'What did she want to yell at me about now?' Then he brought his gaze up, he saw her singing, his jaw dropped and he began mumbling and blushing, something that put her more at ease. She sang a little bit more of the song and then put the guitar down.

"Oh, my god," Sam cried as he came toward her. "You really _are_ naked! I thought I was imagining that. Did you do this for me? Is this part of some new game you want us to play?"

She nibbled on his earlobe and whispered in his ear. "That's not all, mister. I have another game in mind. I got a tattoo and I want you to see if you can find it."

"What made you want to do this?" He asked. "Not that I'm not grateful or…or aroused. Cause I really _am_ both, but…it's _very_ unexpected." He tried to calm his breathing. "And where did you get that guitar?" He wanted to know. "That's one of my old ones. I thought I would never see it again."

"Addie gave it to me to give to you," Leslie responded and she stood up, came toward him and held the guitar out. "Here you go."

When he didn't move, she smiled widely. "Why aren't you coming and taking it from me? Are you nervous? I promise I won't bite."

"Oh, what a shame," Sam replied. "I was hoping you would."

Leslie smiled wider. "I suppose that can be arranged, she said as she used her magic to make the guitar float in the air while slowly and suggestively stroking the neck. Then she said, "Once you take the guitar, then you can find my tattoo. It's in a _very_ special place that only you can see." She beeped him on the nose and gave him a wink.

Sam groaned, grabbed the guitar of the air, zipped to his room, and when he returned, he was as naked as she was. "Sorry if you wanted to see me undress," he apologized. "But I just…I couldn't wait."

Leslie looked him up and down. "I can see that," she said.

Sam cleared his throat and came toward her, taking her into his arms and holding her close. "If you say your tattoo is in a place only I'm gonna see, there aren't many places for me to look, are there?" He asked. He asked her to get down on the carpet, his hands roaming over her body. "Well, I don't see any tattoos yet," he said. Then he parted her legs, planted kisses up her thighs, and swirled his tongue around inside her. "I don't see any tattoos _here_ either," he said. "Where else is there to look?" He flipped her over on her back, and there it was. He ran his hands over every curve of her bottom and gasped. "That really _is_ a tattoo," he breathed. "I just…I can't believe you did it." His voice changed, though, when he asked the next question. "It's not temporary, is it? You're not just doing this to try and impress me before it disappears in the shower or something?"

"No, it is _not_!" Leslie was affronted. "I got a needle stuck in my ass for a very long time to have that made up for you, and it was very painful. Some people would see it as a romantic gesture."

Sam then looked closer at the tattoo and saw the redness around it. "You're right, sorry," he apologized quickly. "It's real."

"Damn right it is," Leslie told him. "And after all this, you're getting one on _your_ ass that matches. It's only fair."

"No, I think I'll get mine in a different place," he told her, entering her from behind with his long finger over and over again. "Like on my arm, where everyone can see it."

"Well," Leslie gasped. "Well, that's all right, I guess. That shows as much dedication as what I did for you."

Sam flipped her over onto her back then before picking her up and putting her over his shoulder. "I need to take you to my bed," he told her. "Unless you'd like me to take you on the floor." He paused. "Well, more than I already have, anyway."

She gave him a spanking from her position draped over his shoulder. "I wanna be in your bed. Take me there right now!"

"All right," Sam agreed. He took her to his bedroom, stood her on her feet, pulled the covers aside, then picked her up and put her on the mattress, climbing in after her.

Then he got on his knees, looking down into her eyes. "You're so beautiful," he told her. "I-I really missed you."

"I missed you too," Leslie confessed before bringing his face down close so she could kiss him deeply. Then he rubbed her inner thighs gently before moving to her core, which was basically unnecessary, since she was already as aroused by him as he was by her.

"It seems like we don't need to spend more time on foreplay," he told her and played with her hair. "Unless of course, you want to."

"Thanks, but…I think I'm good," Leslie assured him. "Come inside me Sam, please."

"All right," Sam nodded, a wicked grin on his lips that made heat shoot through Leslie's body and her hips buck forward.

Then she let out a triumphant "Yes!" As he buried himself deep inside her over and over again. Then they paused for breath and switched positions so that he was holding onto her and her arms were wrapped around his neck and her legs around his waist this time.

"I like this," she said and lay her head on his shoulder. "Do you?"

"Yes," Sam inhaled the honeysuckle scent of her hair. "I like holding you against my heart the most. I'm sorry for my part in our fight. It was stupid. I should have just kept my mouth shut."

"I know how you feel," Leslie nodded. "I should have kept my mouth shut too. It would have stopped a lot of needless suffering for both of us."

After that, they just lay in one another's arms for a bit. Sam gently kissed Leslie's forehead and said, "I agree with what you said about needless suffering," he told her. "And based on how stubborn both of us can be sometimes, I think we should do something so that it can never happen again. I love you too much to put either of us through that kind of suffering.

"Oh, I agree!" Leslie nodded. "What do you think we should do?"

"I can only think of one thing," Sam smiled. Then he whispered in her ear, "Will you marry me? Please?"

"Really?" Leslie asked in shock. "Do you mean it? It's not something that you're gonna wake up and regret tomorrow?"

Sam chuckled. "I won't regret it," he promised. "It'll be as hard to get rid of me as it will be to get rid of that tattoo on your ass. Neither of us is going anywhere."

"Good," Leslie smiled and kissed him. "In that case, I accept. Sam, Salvatore, I would _love_ to marry you."


	66. Two Rocking Parties

"I can't believe our wedding is soon!" Leslie told Sam as they camped out at Amelia and Andrew's. "It's just…it's unbelievable and very exciting!"

"Yeah, it is, isn't it?" Sam replied. Then he sighed. "I hate that I have to wait a whole day. It's gonna be so long!"

"Really?" Leslie smiled. " _That's_ what you don't like about today? The fact that it isn't tomorrow? Not that it's your last day as a free man and tonight you get to run around and get drunk with strippers?"

"Oh, I've seen enough of that over the years," Sam told her. "There's no real thrill to it anymore. _You're_ the real novelty."

Leslie giggled and snuggled up to him just as Amelia came upon them. "Are you two staying together tonight?"

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "Why shouldn't we?"

"It's bad luck!" Amelia replied. "You need to be apart until you say your vows!"

"Oh, come on!" Sam groaned. "Do we have to?"

"Come on, Amelia. Ease up," Andrew advised. "If he doesn't want to do it, he doesn't want to do it."

"Well," Sam sighed. "If it's only for one night, I suppose we could…" He looked down at Leslie. "Right?"

"Right," Leslie kissed him. "I can handle one more night apart. And we can always talk before we go to sleep like we usually do."

"His party doesn't have to have strippers if he doesn't want them," Thomas assured Leslie. "I just suggested that cause I thought he would want an authentic experience. I'll make sure nothing happens, though." He'd offered to throw Sam his bachelor party, but now he was beginning to wonder if that had been the best idea. Having Leslie around and seeing how in love they were was beginning to make him feel like he'd offered to have Sam betray his entire relationship.

"Don't worry," Leslie assured Thomas. "I know nothing will happen while you guys do your thing. It's tradition, that's all it is. I'm sure I'll have a quiet night with Helene…maybe invite my sisters over. It'll all be good." She then zapped up a list and handed it to Thomas. "If you need more people for your party," she told him, "Those are my brothers' names. They might enjoy coming."

"Thank you," Thomas told her. "Thank you very much!"

"And now," she said as Sam followed her to the door. "Since we have to be separated til tomorrow, I'll take my leave."

"And you'll call me tonight?" Sam asked and opened the door for her. "After the party is done?"

"Of course," Leslie nodded. "I won't go to sleep until I've heard your voice."

"And I'll do the same," Sam smiled. "Goodbye, babe."

"Bye, sweetie," Leslie replied and then went down the front steps to her car. Sam then watched her drive away, shut the door, and sighed as he sat back down on the sofa next to Andrew.

* * *

"Sorry about Mom," Thomas apologized to Sam as he helped him set up the room he would sleep in that night while Leslie, of course, stayed with Malachai and Helene. "She's very traditional about stuff like this."

"That's fine," Sam said easily. "It's not like I can't call Leslie on the phone and talk to her before tomorrow."

After the bed was made up, Thomas continued. "And we don't have to do the party if you don't want to, either. I just…I feel a sort of kinship with you and I thought it would be a way for us to get to know each other."

"I can see that," Sam nodded. "I mean, we're both guys who basically spent a lot of time traveling around raising ourselves because we were fun little surprises our mothers couldn't deal with because of their marital situation at the time."

"That's what happened to you too?" Thomas asked, wide-eyed. "Selina did that to you? Did you get put in an orphanage?"

"No, my dad raised me, at least until he began dating my half-sister and then I got disgusted so I left." Sam shook his head. "You had to go to an orphanage? That sucks! Couldn't your dad have looked after you?"

"No, he got shot dead playing poker," Thomas replied. "That wouldn't have worked."

"Can I ask how your dad is alive now if he got shot dead playing poker?" Sam wanted to know. "And I know your mom was killed as part of some big werewolf feud, so that confuses me too."

"They were brought back by some young warlocks doing a prank or something," Thomas explained. "And since they were supposed to be together, but never got the chance to be, they got to stay alive."

"Well, isn't that nice?" Sam smiled. "You seem more like Uncle Andrew than Grandma Amelia."

"You know who's more like Mom?" Thomas asked. "Selina. Your mother."

Sam opened his mouth to refute this, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized Thomas was right. And it made sense: between the two of them, his mother _had_ been the one to spend time with Amelia, so it wouldn't be surprising if some of Amelia rubbed off on her.

"I just realized something," Thomas blurted out. "I'm your uncle."

Sam paused when he said this and thought a moment. "Oh, my god, you're right," he said. "That's really weird. But I like it."

"Yeah," Thomas nodded. "Me too. It's nice to finally get some family after years and years of looking."

"I think you're right," Sam agreed.

Just then, Andrew knocked on the open door and cleared his throat. "Sorry if I'm interrupting," he said. "But Thomas, Davina's downstairs."

"Oh, crap, I forgot!" Thomas groaned. "She wanted me to go with her to see that silly performance art exhibit with her and I couldn't refuse, so now I'm stuck going."

"Well, does she know you're only doing it for her benefit?" Andrew asked. "Maybe if she did, she'd let you off the hook."

"What do you do when Mom makes you do things that you have no interest in whatsoever?" Thomas asked him.

"Well, I either flat out tell her that I don't want to do it, or we compromise and she does something I want after," Andrew replied. "Either way works."

So Thomas gave a resolute nod and strode down the stairs, right up to Davina, who was standing just inside the front door. "Why aren't you dressed?" She asked. "You can't go to the performance dressed in jeans!"

"I don't want to go," Thomas said. "It's not really my cup of tea."

"But you said you did," Davina reminded him and came closer to him. "Why would you tell me that you wanted to go if you didn't?"

"Cause sometimes I don't know how to say 'No' to you," Thomas replied.

A wicked grin came over Davina's face. "Well, when you put it that way, we could use that quality for other things besides going to some silly art exhibit! Is your room free?"

Sam then cleared his throat. "Hi," he told her. "I'm Sam. Remember me from the engagement party?"

"Oh, yes!" Davina nodded. "My soon-to-be brother-in-law!"

"Who would have thought that my nephew would be your brother-in-law?" Thomas mused to Davina.

"You're his _nephew_?" Davina asked Sam. "All the time we were together at the engagement party and you never once thought to mention that?" She turned to face Thomas. "And why didn't _you_ say anything?"

"Well, you were a bit nervous when Charlotte showed up and I didn't know what to say!" Thomas shrugged. "Sorry!"

"Oh, it's all right," Davina sighed and zapped herself into a more comfortable outfit. "So…what do you want to do since we're not going to the art exhibit?"

"Well, it can't take too long," Thomas reminded her. "I have Sam's bachelor party to get ready and you'll be going to Leslie's too. You want to just go see a movie?"

"Sure," Davina nodded and then looked at Sam. "You wanna come along?"

"All right," Sam nodded. "What would it hurt?"

* * *

"It was so nice of Malachai to get out of the house tonight so we could have fun!" Leslie told Helene as she sat among her sisters that night. "Thank you so much for throwing me this party!"

"It's not a problem," Helene replied as she went to get nail polish to do Leslie's nails while everyone else danced or ate. "I know it's not super-exciting or sexy, but when your wedding is gonna be at a bar, you probably want some peace and quiet the night before, right?"

Just then the doorbell rang and Samantha ran over to answer it. She opened the door and looked over the young man with the big blue eyes who wore a fireman's hat and yellow overalls with red suspenders and happened to be holding a small gray and white kitten in one hand. "Hi," he said to her. "I found this little guy stuck up in a tree, is he yours?"

"No, but…" Samantha grinned. "We really could use someone heating this party up. Can you do that?"

"Yes!" He said, stepping inside, pulling off his overalls, and then putting his hat on Leslie as he threw her over his shoulder after making the kitten disappear with his magic. "You must be the guest of honor."

"You got a _stripper_?" Annie asked Samantha. "What were you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that I'm gonna have to ask Stefan to get fireman's overalls," Samantha replied, her eyes locked on Leslie and the stripper. "Now, who wants me to run and get tequila shots?"

Clarissa and Daisy offered to help. They were enjoying themselves immensely because it was the bachelorette party that they didn't have time to have.

While Samantha, Clarissa, and Daisy were out getting alcohol and more food and Leslie danced with the stripper, Helene checked on Jill, who was struggling to find a comfortable position in a chair while drinking some milk. "Are you all right?" She asked. "Is this too much for you? Would you like me to take you home?"

"No, no thanks, I'm fine," Jill told her.

"Are you sure?" Helene asked. She then turned to look at Sarah, who, though less pregnant than Jill, was still in the same condition and looking much more chipper as she stood by the present table and tried to figure out what was in each box. "Cause if you want to go home, I would be more than happy to get you there. I'm touched you came, but you don't need to be a hero."

"I'll be fine, thanks," Jill replied. "But can I have another pillow for my back? That would be nice."

But instead of getting her a pillow, Helene gave her a gentle massage. "I've had three kids myself, one of whom is Sarah's baby's grandfather…kind of. I sort of know what you're going through. I'm amazed that you've been up and at 'em for this long."

"Oh, living with Christian, you have to be alert at all times," Jill told her. "It's something I know well."

By the time Samantha and the others returned with the alcohol, Davina had managed to get herself handcuffed to the stripper, who'd lost the key.

"And you can't get it off with magic," he told her. "Cause what fun would that be?"

"Not a lot," Davina replied and looked him over. "You know, if I had to be handcuffed to anyone and lose the key, you're not so bad."

"Thanks," he smiled. "You must go for the blond and blue-eyed type."

"Yeah," Davina nodded. "Thomas is like that. But he'd never strip down to his underwear, cuff me, and then lose the key. We had phone sex once, but that was about as different from the usual as it gets."

"I could give you a little excitement," the young man offered, breathing down her neck.

"No, thanks," Davina shook her head and slapped him with her free hand. A few seconds later, Leslie appeared and got the cuffs off with some wire and some ingenuity.

"How did you do that?" Davina asked in amazement.

"I've had experience," Leslie told her in a hushed voice after she zapped the stripper away. "Please don't ask me how."

After that, Sarah brought the presents over, and Leslie opened them while they ate cupcakes. The presents were typical lingerie and sexy videos, but when Leslie opened Samantha's present and saw what was inside, she gasped. "What the hell is all this?" She asked, pulling out several pairs of edible underwear, some a couple of vibrators, stuff like that.

"Just for a little experimenting," Samantha told her. "It'll keep things hot. And it's not like Sam will think you're some sort of freak."

"True," Leslie replied thoughtfully. "I can't wait to see the look on his face when I show it to him. Thanks!"

"You're welcome," Samantha grinned. "Speaking of Sam, do you think he's having as good of a time as we are?"

"With Thomas running his party, I don't know," Davina shrugged. "Not exactly the raunchiest man in the world, my guy."

* * *

"Okay, Thomas," Sam whispered as he huddled with his uncle behind a pile of sandbags at the paintball range and paintballs whizzed over their heads. "Tell me what the battle plan is again?"

"Well, now that we got that Percy out of the way, now we can focus on some of the trickier ones," Thomas replied. "Remember, they have magic, so we'll have to be careful."

"Why don't we go out first so we can distract them?" Asked a brunette kneeling next to Thomas. She and the three girls with her were the strippers that Thomas had originally hired. When that party plan had gone bust, when Sam had suggested doing paintball instead, they'd enthusiastically agreed to come along. Now everyone was hammered out of their minds and shooting at everything that moved.

"Good!" Thomas told her. "You guys go and distract them. Then Sam, you take Todd and Caleb, and I'll see if I can't get Ian and Patrick out of the way."

"Got it," Sam nodded. Then they let out a yell and charged out from behind the pile of sandbags, paintballs flying. At first, it took him some time to find his targets, but he quickly realized that Todd and Caleb had been shooting at him and had just missed because of pure dumb luck. As he saw paintballs whizzing toward him, he zipped out of the way, using his powers to seem like he was in several places at once and soon Todd was so dizzy that Sam was able to hit him and send him on his way.

"So you're a vampire," Caleb said, immediately taking his brother's place. "Didn't know that."

"Well, now you do," Sam replied. Then he let out a cry as Caleb shot him on the shoulder. "Hey!" He cried. "I thought you weren't supposed to shoot the guest of honor."

"I never heard that rule," Caleb shrugged, "I guess you're out. And you better take care of my sister. Or you'll get worse than a paintball next time. And that's from me. Patrick's the one who really likes Leslie. I'd watch out for him too if I were you."

As Sam gave Caleb one last push, he had the pleasure of seeing Thomas shoot Patrick right in the heart with a paintball before he went to sit on one of the side benches and watch. When Patrick came to sit next to him, he said, "Caleb told me that you might be a bit nervous about me and Leslie since you like her so much. But don't worry. I'll be good to her."

"I hope so," Patrick replied. "She's been through a lot."

"Are you coming to the wedding tomorrow?" Sam asked.

"Yeah," Patrick nodded. "Why wouldn't I? Since it's at a bar, there'll be lots of good drinks, I take it."

"Oh, yes," Sam nodded. "My sister is good with that stuff. Her name's Roxie. I'll be sure to point her out to you when you come in."

* * *

It was just after Leslie got out of the shower and was getting ready to tuck herself into bed that Sam called.

"First off, I want to apologize if I'm hung over tomorrow," Sam told her. "I had a lot to drink. It made paintball much more interesting."

"Paintball?" Leslie asked. "So Thomas didn't go with the typical bachelor party experience?"

"Well, he did, then we got bored and decided to try something else. The strippers came with us, though," Sam told her. "Anything interesting happen at your party?"

"I had to save my sister Davina after she got handcuffed to a stripper and lost the key," Leslie told him. "And then Jill's baby made the power go out for the entire neighborhood at one point and Helene took her home. I got lots of interesting presents that I think we'll make good use of. And don't be worried about being hung over. I think I drank just as much as you did. Good thing we're getting married in the afternoon, huh?"

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "I guess so."

"And did my brothers give you too much trouble?" Leslie asked. "Be honest."

"Caleb shot me and got me out, but then Patrick got out right after me, so we were able to have a nice talk and I did all I could to promise I'd be good to you," Sam told her. "I think I convinced him."

"Well, if they continue to give you grief, let me know and I'll have a talk with them," Leslie replied. "Tomorrow is our wedding and I want to be nice, not full of a bunch of fighting."

"I'll probably have to do some damage control when Christian shows up," Sam sighed. "You don't mind that I invited him, do you?"

"Well, of course not," Leslie replied. "It was a good idea. That way, Jill won't have to come by herself."

"Wonderful," Sam said. He heard Leslie yawn and told her, "I think someone needs to get some sleep."

"I _do_ ," Leslie agreed. "I just got out of the shower and that warm water is making me sleepy."

"Good night then, baby," Sam told her and kissed into the phone.

"Good night," Leslie replied and kissed back. "I love you and I can't wait for us to be married tomorrow."

"And I can't wait to see your dress," Sam told her. "I bet you'll look lovely in it. I love you too, Leslie. Tomorrow is just gonna be another great day in our lives."

They then ended their calls at the same time, tucked themselves in, and went to sleep.


	67. A White Wedding

"Do you have to keep taking that out of your pocket and waving it in front of me?" Roxie asked irritably as Vince took the hundred-dollar bill out of his pocket and smiled at it while they set up Leslie and Sam's room for that night. "You won the bet. I get it." She paused and grinned. "So…where are you gonna take me?"

Vince raised an eyebrow. "I actually didn't plan to spend it on taking you to dinner," he told her. "I have some stuff that I want to buy with it."

Roxie's jaw dropped. "You aren't gonna use that to do things with _me_?" She asked and stomped her foot as her bottom lip jutted out. "That was one of the parts of the bet!"

"That wasn't part of the bet at all," Vince shook his head. "You're just making that up now because you lost. I hope you're in better spirits later and don't ruin Sam's wedding with your sour face."

"Oh, I'll be into some good spirits later," Roxie assured him and hit the pillow hard. "The bar is full of 'em. Don't worry about that."

"That's not what I meant and you know it," Vince sighed. "Do you need me to do anything else in here? Cause if not, I'm gonna go check the alcohol stock and see if we need to refill anything.

"No," Roxie shook her head. "I can handle this. You go. You go spend all your damn money. I don't care."

Vince just sighed and rolled his eyes. He had thought they were past this attitude. It had really seemed like they were. But apparently not."

As he reached the ground floor, he said to Ronan, "Have you seen Addie? I'd like her to help watch things while I check the stock and then go out and buy whatever alcohol we need."

"She went out to get decorations," Ronan explained. "She says this place needs to be decorated and that she has a whole look figured out in her head. She should be back soon. She left a while ago."

"Thanks," Vince told his grandfather-in-law.

"Glad I could be of help," Ronan told him.

"Oh, and one more thing," Vince added. "Roxie is in a bad mood because I won our bet and I think it will make her want to start drinking so if she comes down here and asks you for anything, please don't give it to her."

"You don't have to tell me twice," Ronan assured him. "I won't give her anything. Don't worry."

"Thanks again," Vince said, making his way down to the storeroom just as Addie came back with decorations.

"Okay, I couldn't find anything really fancy, so this place will probably end up looking like someone's birthday party, rather than a wedding, but that's better than nothing, right?" She announced.

"Oh, darlin', I'm sure you'll make this place look so lovely it will be as if it's not even a bar for a few hours," Ronan told her.

"Thanks!" Addie smiled. "I have to make it look really good because I sort of missed out on Leslie's bachelorette party and this is my way of apologizing." She set about hanging streamers and blowing up balloons with her magic and Ronan, as he promised Vince, did his best to keep a still irate Roxie out of the alcohol before everyone showed up for the wedding.

* * *

"Oh, my god!" Leslie gasped as she and Sam came into the bar a couple of hours before the wedding began. Her blonde hair was up and had a white flower in it and she wore small diamond earrings, but other than that, she was very casual. She wore brown leather, high-heeled cowboy boots and a crocheted white dress over a white slip. Sam wore neat blue jeans, a white polo, and black boots. The locket, of course, was around her neck. "This is just…it looks gorgeous in here!" She looked at Addie, who was grinning at them from the other side of the bar. "Did you do this?"

"Yeah, I helped," Addie smiled. "The white flowers and streamers and stuff…that was all my idea. It's my way to apologize for missing your bachelorette party."

"Well, we missed you, but I'm sure you had a good reason for not coming," Leslie said. "Was it because most of the guests were my sisters?"

"Yeah," Addie nodded. "That was it. I didn't want to feel like I was intruding. But I'm glad I'm at your wedding. I'm really happy for you two."

"Thanks," Sam said and put one hand on top of hers. "We owe you a lot for helping us come to our senses."

"Well, how could I just leave you like you were when you both obviously missed each other so badly?" Addie blushed. "I didn't do anything a decent person wouldn't have done."

"You're not gonna be behind the bar all night, are you?" Sam asked. "Please tell me you won't."

"Of course not," Addie assured him. "I'll make my way out eventually."

Just then, the bar door opened and Adrian and Molly strode in.

"Hi, Uncle Adrian!" Addie greeted him. "Did you come for the wedding? It's your brother being married, after all."

"Yes," Adrian smiled and shook Sam's hand. "Mom came with us. She'll be in in a little bit."

Addie's face twisted. "Is Uncle Elijah coming too?" She asked.

"No, he's off the hook since he behaved himself at the engagement party," Adrian replied.

Molly looked around and realized that they were the first ones there. "Are we early?" She asked. "I'm sorry if we are."

"Oh, that's fine," Addie replied. "It's not like there aren't ways to amuse yourselves until it's go time. I just have to make sure that I don't let people drink too much before things get underway."

"Where's your mother?" Adrian asked. "Why isn't she doing that?"

"Well, she lost a bet to Dad and now she's pissed and I'm not supposed to let her near any alcohol in case she feels the urge to overindulge out of pure spite," Addie explained.

"Yep," Adrian chuckled. "That sounds like my sister, all right. I can have something, though, can't I?"

"Sure, but just one for now," Addie replied. "A beer?"

"Yes, please," Adrian nodded as he and Molly sat on bar stools and Selina came in and announced she was gonna be in the pool room for a while. "You're a real sport, Miss Addison."

* * *

As people began to arrive before the wedding, Sam and Leslie stood by the bar and shook everyone's hands, accepting their congratulations, then joined in the talking. The bar got packed and the noise rose, but at one point, the bell rang, announcing someone coming in, and the whole room went silent. Curious to see what had caused the change in mood, Sam and Leslie spun on their bar stools away from Addie, with whom they'd been speaking, to see what the fuss was about. It didn't surprise them. Christian had just come in with Jill and everyone seemed worried about it.

"What are you doing here?" Percy asked, striding up to Christian and trying not to stare at Jill, whose hand was on her growing belly which was somewhat disguised by the empire waist of her pink dress. "You can't just come into a private wedding, you know."

"I was invited," Christian told him as Jill held his hand and tried to keep him calm. "Sam is my friend."

But Percy didn't believe him and punched him in the face, which made Sam come over to them. "Problem?" He asked.

"Did you _really_ invite him?" Percy asked, his dark eyes wide. "Do you _really_ want him here?"

"It's true!" Sam told him, and then spoke in a louder voice to the entire crowd.. "Christian is just as welcome as the rest of you. Please don't fight with him. This is our wedding day and I want it to be a peaceful one. Welcome, Christian! You want a drink? And Jill, I bet we could find something for you. Come in, come in!"

"I don't like him," Percy huffed as Stephanie grabbed his arm and whispered that he should calm down and stop making more a scene before he embarrassed her and himself anymore. "I can't believe he was invited."

"Well, it's not your wedding, and as he pointed out, Sam, the groom, invited him. And if Sam wants him here, there's nothing you can do about it. Now let's just go sit down, okay?"

When they were seated at a table and Percy was taking deep breaths, Malachai joined them. "What's going on?" He asked Percy. "We said that if Jill and Christian came, you were gonna behave yourself."

"Yes, I know!" Percy replied. "But that promise was much easier to make when Christian wasn't in front of my face! And do you see how pregnant Jill is? That means the two of them had to…" A growl escaped his lips and his hands balled into fists.

"Deep breaths," Stephanie encouraged again. "Deep breaths."

"Yes," Malachai nodded. "If you want to beat Christian up for destroying Jill's honor, you can do it, but don't do it today. Not in the middle of Leslie's wedding."

"It's not even the middle of the wedding," Percy muttered. "Then it would have been a bad idea. But I think I'm still safe."

"Why don't you two get the judge out here before another fight breaks out?" Malachai encouraged Sam.

Sam whispered to Addie and then he and Leslie got into position with the rest of the wedding party, preparing to walk down the aisle, while Addie told everyone to take seats and she went and got the judge, who positioned himself on the karaoke stage while Hall and Oates' "You Make My Dreams Come True" played.

First, Christian came down the aisle to stand next to Sam as his best man. Then Addie took her place as maid of honor, and then all the siblings from both sides that they could fit made their way down aisle too. Well, the siblings and Sam's uncle Thomas.

Then the Association's "Never My Love" played as Leslie made her away across the bar at a leisurely pace with tears in her eyes, which soon began flowing down her cheeks freely, and when she was in Sam's arms, he was crying too. They took time to wipe their eyes and take a deep breath before the judge began talking.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered today to join in marriage Samuel Matthew Salvatore and Leslie Anne Lundgren McCullough. They told me they have written their own vows." He looked at them. "Go ahead, you two."

"Well, I never thought I would be here doing this," Sam told her as he took her hand and gave a nervous laugh. "Getting married, I mean. All the relationships I had before you didn't work out and I began to wonder if it was my fault. If I just…if I wasn't a relationship person. Then you came along and we fought, and when you said you wanted to go be with someone else that I'd really dodged a bullet. But then it got weird. I found myself, despite everything about you that annoyed me, _missing_ you. I couldn't explain it, and I think I still couldn't if someone asked me too, but…I need you in my life, which is why this was important. Letting you go when I did was stupid, and this way…this way that won't happen again. Ever. And I'm okay with that." He smiled.

Leslie then took her turn. "The impression that I get from you is that you don't think much of yourself," she began. "You don't seem to think that you can care about anyone and that's why when someone tries to get close, your first impulse seems to be to run away. But if that's what you think, then you're ignoring a lot of things. You're ignoring what made me love you. How, the first night I came home with you and it was thundering out, you held me when I was scared. You didn't hesitate. You didn't act uncomfortable. You just…held me. You sang to me until my breathing calmed down. You made sure I was okay. That was one of the sweetest things anyone ever did for me. And then when I had that nightmare and…and told you about it, you listened. You cared. You didn't judge." She put hands on either side of his face. "For someone who thinks he's so bad at relationships, I think you're damn good at them, especially with me, and that's why I came back to you. That's why I'm standing in front of you right now. I love you, Sam."

"I love you, Leslie," he returned.

Then, because the judge could see that they really wanted to kiss, he said rest of the ceremony quickly, pronounced them man and wife after they exchanged rings, and then everyone in the bar applauded as Leslie nearly knocked Sam to the floor as she jumped in his arms.

As they turned to face everyone, Damon called out, "Why don't the two of you sing us a song?"

"All right, Dad," Sam called back. "Which one do you want to hear?"

"Well, since the two of you seem to have something of a Hall and Oates thing going, what about "Kiss On My List?" Damon answered, which made the room burst into applause.

Sam singled to Roxie, who thankfully hadn't gotten into the booze, and she got the song set up, then they shared a microphone as they sang the song, doing the verses as a duet and then Sam singing the chorus alone while holding Leslie's hand and looking into her eyes. "(Because your kiss) your kiss  
is on my list, (because your kiss) your kiss, Is on my list. Because your kiss is on my list of the best things in life. (Because your kiss), your kiss is on my list. (Because your kiss) your kiss  
I can't resist. Because your kiss is what I miss, when I turn out the light…"

"You won't have to miss it now," Leslie told him as the song ended and everyone in their room got to their feet and applauded.

* * *

Afterward, everyone continued to drink and dance as a still sour Roxie tended the bar. Then, Patrick broke away and sat on one of the stools. "What are you doing over here by yourself?" He asked with a smile. "A pretty woman like you should be out there dancing. I could twirl you around the floor if you wanted."

Roxie's initial reaction was to scoff at the compliment. "If you're trying to get booze without being carded by being charming, sport, you don't have to worry about that. It's not so much an issue here. Just tell me what you want and I'll give it to you."

"I don't want a drink," he told her smoothly. "I just want to talk. But I'd be willing to get _you_ one." He held out his hand. "I'm Patrick. One of Leslie's brothers."

"Roxie," Roxie replied as she gave his hand a shake. "Are you sure you don't want a drink?" She was mad at Vince to be sure, but it was still a little surprising to have this very attractive young man try and put the moves on her and she wasn't sure how to react.

Patrick continued to be charming, which put her at ease and she decided that since Vince was taking the money from the bet to do something for himself, there was no reason why she couldn't do something for _herself_ and talk to this guy. She and Vince weren't joined at the hip, after all. She even found herself flirting a little. Then, to entice him, she moved to another part of the bar to serve someone else and the position she was in gave him a good view of the back of her.

That was enough for Addie. She'd been dancing with Sam as Leslie danced with Malachai, but now she had to stop this. She practically flew over to Patrick's bar stool, pushed him off it, then stood over him with her hands on her hips and her heel in his stomach so he couldn't get up until she wanted him to. "You wanna back off from my mother?" She snapped. "She's married. Go find a teenager to flirt with or something."

"And what business is it of yours what your mother and I do with ourselves?" Patrick smiled, his dark eyes gleaming. "Why do you feel entitled to stick your nose into things that aren't your business?"

"Of course it's my business cause that's my mother!" Addie cried. "I don't see how you could not expect me to fight you about this."

"Roxie," Patrick managed to get out. "Would you help me with your spoiled brat daughter, please? Does she always attack customers like this?"

"Addison, what in the world are you doing?" Roxie demanded. "Move your foot and stand him up!"

"No!" Addie shook her head. "Not until he says he's gonna stop hitting on you. He shouldn't be doing that since you and Daddy are still very much together. He even helps you run this damn bar and flirting with someone behind his back because you're upset you lost a bet to him is a pretty poor way to pay him back for that."

Roxie then came out from behind the bar, got Addie to move, and then Patrick took Addie in his arms, swept her body from head to toe with his eyes, and said disdainfully, "If you were hoping that little display would move my attention from your mother to you, you're mistaken. It won't." He then strode off and Addie yelled after him.

"Well, I wasn't fucking trying to hit on you! Good riddance you idiot!" She then strode off and Sam found her.

"Everything okay?" He asked. "You look perturbed."

"I am!" Addie replied, her hand full of bar peanuts that she was shoveling into her mouth. "My mom was flirting with one of Leslie's brothers! Can you believe her? I know she's mad at my dad, but that's just taking things too far!"

"Well, here's something to help take your mind off that," Sam told her. "Thanks for helping me and Leslie back together when we were being stupid. We really owe you one."

"It wasn't any trouble, really," Addie shrugged. "I just…you're like my parents: you may bicker and stuff, but you really love each other so I felt it was my duty to help you see it." She sighed. "I might have to do it for my mother too now."

Sam hugged her. "It'll turn out all right," he said with a smile. "I don't think you have to worry." He then looked over and gasped as he saw his mother dancing with his father. "Hopefully Elijah will never hear about that," he remarked. "It'll drive him ballistic."

"He won't hear it from me," Addie promised. "Now you should go back and dance. You don't have to spend your whole reception talking to me. Not that I'm not grateful for it, but Leslie probably wants you back now."

"Yeah," Sam noticed Leslie sitting in a chair and gesturing at him. "Looks like she does." He paused. "Well, thanks again!" He said.

"My pleasure," Addie smiled. "Now go and dance with your wife!"

* * *

That night, Sam and Leslie settled into bed after undressing. "Well, here it is," Leslie said. "The big wedding night. Doesn't feel different from any other night, does it?"

"Not really," Sam shook his head. "Not without a few touches…" He got out of bed and told her to close her eyes until he said so, and when she opened them again, the room was full of candles and there were rose petals everywhere.

"How the hell did you do that so fast?" Leslie gasped. "Vampire speed?"

"Exactly," Sam nodded and ran a rose down her cheek. "Now, where were we?"

"It's our wedding night," Leslie smiled. "Let's get to it!"

Sam pushed the covers aside, climbed in beside her, and kissed her lips, her cheeks, her eyelashes, her hair. Then down her neck and over her breasts and stomach, pausing only to gently suck on each one of her nipples in turn before slowly swirling his tongue around her belly while she gasped and spread her legs. He then pleasured her with his tongue before sliding his finger in and out a few times and giving her a rub as she moaned and gasped and called his name. Then, he held her close and buried himself inside her, his fingers threading in her blonde hair as her nails raked down his back and every thrust made the bed shake.

"I hope you put a spell on the door so no one can hear us," he whispered and then nibbled on her earlobe.

Finally, they lay panting, exhausted, and sweaty in each other's arms. "Well, that was certainly time well spent," Leslie got out as she reached down and gently stroked him.

"Don't," he begged cause he really was worn out. "Give me some time before you arouse me again. I just need a little breather!"

"Sorry," Leslie apologized, and kissed his cheek.

"But they didn't get to that second round. They fell asleep tangled up in the sheets, too exhausted to even get up and turn off the lights, something Roxie made note of when she came to their room with their breakfast the next morning.


	68. Give Peace A Chance

"Did you know that Jill was pregnant?" Malachai asked Helene. "Percy was all upset about it at the wedding and it caused all kinds of trouble! Or did you miss it?"

"Well of course I knew!" Helene replied. "I saw her at Leslie's bachelorette party! And who could have missed Percy punching poor Christian in the face? That was quite the spectacle!"

"You knew since the bachelorette party and you didn't think to mention it to me?" Malachai cried as he began pulling at his hair. "Helene, you can't hide stuff like this from me! And you have to tell your mother as well that my daughter is now carrying a child who could help destroy the world."

"Is that how you're gonna see her now?" Helene spat. "Not as your daughter, but as some incubator for a monster?"

"How can I not?" Malachai replied. "She's probably not even loyal to the coven anymore."

"You don't know that. She could be," Helene replied. "Give her a break. Call her on the phone. And don't say anything judgmental. I've been through this with Lenora and James and not judging her too much when she got pregnant with James' son Henry was one of the best choices I made. Don't you drive Jill away. You'll be sorry if you do."

"I don't want to drive her away," Malachai replied. "I suppose the best thing to do would be to be kind until I find that I have a reason not to be."

"And you won't!" Helene insisted. "Now go call her."

"And _you_ don't forget to tell your mother," Malachai reminded her. "I know you don't want to, but I think this is a situation of 'better safe than sorry'."

"Fine, I'll say something to my mother," Helene rolled her eyes. "But I really don't think there's anything to worry about."

* * *

"The Phoenix's son has fathered a child of his own?" Astrid cried after Helene told her. "How long do we have to prepare for this? Did it take long for Christian to get here? I'll go and tell James!"

"What I think you need to do is take a breath and think this through," Helene told her. "I don't know how far along Jill is, but I don't like it that you and Malachai are both automatically jumping to conclusions about this child. For all we know, it might not even be bad. It might be just the push Christian needs to embark on a life of not doing evil."

Astrid sighed. "Believe me. I know what you're saying and I really hate the idea of hurting an innocent child for something they may or may not do in the future, but I have to think of everyone's safety. You know how much trouble I've gotten in in the past for just blindly trusting people that the magical public sees as a risk. Can't there be some sort of compromise? Can you think of one for me?"

"I'll try and think of something," Helene promised. "Cause I want to give that child a chance just as much as you do. Cause if we don't, there won't be too many other people that will."

* * *

"Tell me something," Malachai told Kai. "Has John mentioned any plans for any children of Christian's that might come along?"

"If he does have plans, I don't know them," Kai shrugged. "I'm mostly just a lackey."

"I thought as much but I at least wanted to ask." Malachai nodded. "Does he know you're here? How does he feel about that?"

Kai shrugged. "I honestly don't know if he cares. I'm around for him when he needs me, but it's not like he watches me every second. Not when he and Freya have reconciled and he has more important things to do behind bedroom doors."

"Oh, my god," Malachai replied. "If that's the case, I really think I should be getting the coven together soon to make plans. Between Christian, Christian's soon to be born child, and any other children John might conceive, if I don't have a game plan soon, I'll lose!"

"Yep," Kai nodded. "I really think you might if you don't get a move on, Uncle Malachai."

Malachai sighed. "Now that I've gotten that out of my system…how are you? How's Victoria? How are the twins? Did I hear that Finn got married?"

"He did," Kai smiled. "He and his girlfriend Daisy tied the knot so she wouldn't be stuck in a crazy arranged marriage." He paused. "Well, that and because they love each other."

"How nice," Malachai smiled. "You like her? Daisy, I mean?"

"Yeah, I think she's good for Finny," Kai said. "And now that he and Molly are taken care of, Victoria and I can work on having a child who isn't hijacked by my mother."

"That'll be interesting," Malachai replied. "Do you think you're ready? Do you think you'll be able to handle it?"

"Of course I will," Kai replied. "If I can get through raising twins, one child shouldn't be a problem."

"All right, just checking," Malachai said. "If you need any help from Helene and me, we'll be around."

"Thanks," Kai told him. "That's very comforting, actually."

* * *

"Aren't you glad I pushed you to go to the wedding?" Junior asked Sarah. "We had fun, didn't we?"

"I suppose," Sarah sighed. "If you call not being able to drink for the toast or any other time and wearing a dress that makes you look like a giant disco ball 'fun'. Why Leslie let us all wear a dress of our choosing is beyond me."

"You did _not_ look like a giant disco ball," Junior insisted. "You looked beautiful. You _are_ beautiful."

"If I'm so beautiful, how come we haven't had sex since I got pregnant?" Sarah pressed. "Am I too fat to be attractive to you anymore, Sean? Are you seeing a skinnier, prettier woman on the side for sex? Is that why you won't have any with me?"

"You wanna have sex?" Junior asked irritably. "Is that what you're not so subtly trying to say? Repeat it a million times cause apparently I'm an idiot who can't understand things."

"Of course I do!" Sarah shouted. "Duh! And you better find a way to make it work."

"Yeah, okay, since you asked so nicely, I'll see what I can do," Junior sighed. Her bad mood was really beginning to wear on him.

"I don't want to do it _now_ ," Sarah told him and backed away. "Now you're grumpy and probably won't try hard. I want it to be at a time when you'll be in a mood to make an effort."

"Okay," Junior said. "Whatever." He then stomped downstairs and came upon his aunt Eva.

"What's wrong with you?" She asked. "Can I do anything to help?"

"No," Sean sighed. "Unless you can get that baby out of Sarah so that she's not acting mad at me all the time for things that aren't my fault."

"I'm sorry," Eva said and hugged him. "If it's any consolation, it won't be for much longer, will it? She's got to be close to her due date by now."

"I hope so," Sean sighed. "I really do."

"You want a drink?" Eva asked. "Or we could just go on a walk or something. It's a nice day. It's calming."

"That would probably be a better solution than drinking my feelings away," Junior replied. "Let's take a walk to the grocery store. I'm sure that there's something Sarah has decided that she needs."

"All right," Eva nodded. "Sounds good to me."

So Junior went back to his and Sarah's room. "Aunt Eva and I are gonna take a walk to the grocery store," he told her. "You want anything? Chips? Cookies? Those little snack cakes with the cream in the middle?"

"No, thanks," Sarah shook her head. "I really should stop eating those so I don't get so fat. I should probably have vegetables or something instead."

"All right, so I'll get you vegetables," Sean nodded. "I understand. Will do."

"Oh, my god, so you _do_ think I'm fat!" Sarah cried. "Way to be hurtful, Sean."

Junior groaned as she burst into tears, leaving the bedroom, shutting the door, and when he and Eva got to the store, he brought her both the snack cakes and an assortment of vegetables. That seemed like a good compromise, and hopefully, he wouldn't have to pay for it later.

* * *

"I'm sorry about how I treated you today," Sarah apologized to Junior as he settled down with her to go to bed. "It wasn't nice and there was no excuse for it." She paused. "Well, I suppose I could make an excuse if I wanted to. But I really don't think I should." She kissed him. "You're being a really good sport about all this. If I'm being a pain and you wanna say so, you can."

Junior sighed. "Well, what you wanted….it wasn't wrong for you to want. I realize that we haven't been together since you got pregnant, but it's definitely not because you're too fat and I am _not_ getting any anywhere else, I promise. If I had, your father probably would have found out by now and put a bullet through my head."

"I think I should visit him," Sarah sighed. "I haven't seen him in a while, but I know that once he sees how big I am, he's either gonna start a fuss or have a heart attack and I don't want him to do either. Should I get Selina to come with me when I go?"

"Yeah," Junior nodded. "That's a good idea. And I'll come too."

"Thanks," Sarah smiled. "That makes me feel a lot braver about the whole undertaking."

Junior then pushed up her shirt and kissed her belly. "You wanna have sex now?" He asked.

"Yes!" Sarah nodded enthusiastically, her brown eyes bright. "If you can find a way to make it work so that it's comfortable for both of us, I'm all for it!"

"Of course I can make it work!" Junior assured her. He helped her undress and then undressed himself, doing a little dance as he did so. Then he climbed back into bed with her and they tried a few of the positions that they used when she wasn't pregnant, and while it wasn't horribly uncomfortable doing it when Sarah was on her back, or sitting up with her legs wrapped around him, he felt that they could do better.

"No," Sarah shook her head when he told her that the most comfortable thing for both of them would be for him to enter her from behind. "I can bear the discomfort as long as I can look into your eyes. As long as I can see you smiling at me. Not seeing that…it makes it seem kind of impersonal."

"It won't be," he assured her after taking her hand and kissing her cheek. "It'll be nice, I promise."

She was doubtful, but let him do it. He then wrapped one arm around her, and nibbled on her earlobe, kissed her neck, and whispered things in her ear as she pleasured herself.

"You're beautiful," he said. "I love you. You are the most wonderful woman I've ever seen."

"Even when I'm yelling at you and stuffing my face with snack cakes?" She asked.

"Well, that's not gonna last forever," Junior said and played with her hair as he pushed into her again.

"Oh!" She breathed. "That…that was good."

"What's good?" Junior asked. "Something I did or something you did?"

"No, something you did," Sarah assured him. "And keep whispering in my ear. That feels nice." He did and she shut her eyes, gasping as she felt his hand roam over her torso and cup her breast, and the pleasant pain when he squeezed her nipple. This made her rub herself harder, and her whole body became warm as she climaxed. "There," she said, taking a deep breath afterward. "I-I'm good."

"That's it?" Junior asked. "You're done? You could have just done that yourself. What did you need me for?"

"I didn't mean I was done with our whole thing," Sarah clarified. "I'm just saying that I felt something."

Junior pulled out of her then.

"What are you doing?" Sarah asked. "Did I upset you again? I didn't mean to."

"No, I'm not upset," Junior told her. "I was just thinking that since you finished and it'll probably be a little bit before you're ready to go again, maybe I should have a turn."

"All right," Sarah nodded and reached out to stroke him and then gently squeeze his cock.

His eyes closed and he smiled. "Yes," he said. "That's good. Keep going!" Then he gasped when he felt her start to suck on him gently. "Oh, Sarah! Oh, my god, you aren't!"

She paused. "Do you not like that?" She asked a short while later. "Should I stop?"

"Oh, no, please keep going!" Junior encouraged, his cheeks a little red. "You were doing so well!"

"Okay," Sarah smiled and went back to it.

He shut his eyes and pictured the look on her father's face if he'd seen them at that very moment. Odds are, he would not be very happy. Which is why when they went to see him tomorrow, there would be no mention of this. Not a word.

* * *

"Well, look at you!" Sarah's mother cried and hugged her the best she could as she invited both Sarah and Junior inside. "Is that the reason why we've only talked and I haven't seen you for such a long time?"

"Yes," Sarah nodded. "I didn't want Daddy to have a heart attack when he saw the size of my belly. But yesterday, I decided that I can't hide forever and that I have to face him sometime, so that's what I'm doing now."

"Well, I'm sure he'll be glad to see you," Christine replied.

"Do you really think so?" Sarah asked.

"Look," Christine assured her. "I know it might seem like your father is a straitlaced fussbudget who loves morals more than people, but he really has missed you. I think that regardless of the size of your belly, he'll be glad you're here."

"That's it, Christine," Matthew said a few minutes later. "I don't care what you say. I am going to go take Sarah away from Junior's house so I can see her, and I don't care what he says."

"Actually, if you just look up, you'll see that you don't need to do that," Christine told him. "They came to you."

Matthew looked up then, his eyes widening as Sarah came to hug him. "Hi, Daddy," she said. "I really missed you."

"Well, I missed you too, darlin'." He held her at a distance. "You're looking well," he remarked, even though, for just a fraction of a second, his eyes widened in surprise. "Are you feeling well? Is there anything you need us to do for you?"

"No, thanks," Sarah shook her head. "I just came for a visit."

"Well, this is nice," Matthew smiled. "Why don't you have a seat? Can I get you anything? Are you hungry?"

"Yes," Sarah nodded. "That seems to be a constant state for me lately. I'll take whatever you've got. But I've been trying to wean myself off junk food."

So Matthew brought her some tea, a bowl of apple slices, and a sandwich with some cured meat in it that he'd hunted several days before.

"Is that deer?" She asked after taking a bite. "You know, you and the guys really do have a way with deer meat."

"Thank you!" Matthew smiled. "I'm glad you like it." He looked at Junior. "You want one too?"

"Sure," Junior nodded. "Why not? Thanks!"

While Matthew was getting him his sandwich, Christine asked Sarah, "Do you know your due date? How long till you have this baby?"

"Not much longer, I hope," Sarah replied. "It's making me drive everyone crazy!"

"Oh, believe me, I know," Christine nodded. "Judging from the size of you, I don't think you have much longer."

"Well, good," Sarah sighed. "I can't wait to get this baby out of me. If someone just came along and pulled it out, I would thank them. I most definitely would."


	69. The Day Of Reckoning

"Oh, look who it is," Addie sighed irritably as Patrick strode into the bar. "If you're hoping to have a talk with my mother, it's not gonna happen. I want you to stay away from her."

"Do you?" Patrick grinned and took a seat next to her. "I don't see why you need to be so concerned for your mother. She's a grown woman and if she wants me, she should have that option." He paused. "Unless your objection has to do with the fact that you want me yourself. Then I might consider it." He moved closer and grinned. "So come on. What do you say?"

She leaned back a little, her eyes widening. "I…I don't think so," she told him as her breathing began to pick up. "If you'll excuse me, I need…I need to run to the bathroom."

When she was away from him, she locked herself in the bathroom, pulled down her pants, pulled out a syringe, and injected the contents into her bottom, breathing out and then leaning against the stall door for a minute before straightening up, sticking the syringe back in her purse, and going out to punch that idiot if he was still sitting at the bar.

As she came out of the bathroom, she bumped into him and her purse fell to the ground, stuff tumbling out of it including the syringe.

"Hey, what's that?" He asked, snatching it out from under her fingers.

"It's my insulin," she improvised. "I need it for my health. Please don't touch it."

He looked at her, shook his head and chuckled. "Like I've never heard that before," he said. "Anyone know about that besides me?"

"No," Addie shook her head. "And if you tell anyone, I'll kill you. I've done so much so that no one will figure it out. It's good that my magic helps."

"Oh, don't worry," Patrick smirked. "I won't say a word. Not that it would change anything for you if I did. You get in deep enough with that and no amount of shaming from family will stop you from getting your fix." He paused. "How long have you been using, anyway?"

"That's not of your damn business," Addie snapped and bent down to shove everything in her purse. "Like I was saying, get out of my way."

Patrick stepped aside and gestured. "There you are, your highness," he said. "Would you like me to get on my knees or bow as well?"

"No," Addie shook her head. "Just getting out of my sight would be good enough for me."

* * *

"I told you, Malachai," Jill said for what seemed like the thousandth time. "While I get why you're concerned, I won't have any part in a plan that will cause Christian's death. I won't."

"Why not?" Percy asked. "Don't you understand how dangerous he is? Has being with him messed up your brain, Jill?"

"No, it hasn't," Jill told him. "I'm very much aware of what I'm doing, thank you. I know you all think of Christian as a monster and I suppose, in a way, you're right to think that, but you don't know him the way I do. He can be a good man!" She put a hand on her belly. "And I won't have our baby grow up without a father just because all of you want Christian's blood!"

It was just after this statement that invisible Christian appeared and stared into the room where Malachai and all his children were meeting.

"You have to make a choice," Malachai ordered. "It's either us or them. I know you'll make the right one, Jill. I know you'll save the world and realize that everyone is better off without that monster, his father, and his spawn, no matter how much you say he's changed."

Christian shut his eyes. This was like a knife in his heart. He knew what choice Jill would make with the options set out in front of her and he had to ask John what to do. He was loath to ask John for anything, but this…he couldn't see any other way to deal with this.

Meanwhile, Jill held on to both Leslie and Sarah as Malachai continued to talk. "I know you'll do the right thing by us. Everyone agrees that this is the right way to go."

Several of the others nodded in agreement but to Jill's surprise and relief, both Leslie and Sarah stuck up for her.

"We don't believe you," Sarah told Malachai. "There has to be another way to deal with this."

"Yeah, there does!" Leslie nodded. "Christian's really not so bad. He's changed just like Jill said!"

"And tell me why you two are so willing to stick up for him?" Malachai asked in shock. He had expected everyone to think like he did, but things weren't gonna be as easy as that, apparently.

"Because the man I love is Christian's friend," Leslie replied. She looked at Todd, Patrick, and Caleb "I'm surprised at you guys. Christian let us out of our confinement when John kidnapped us. Does that mean nothing to you?"

The boys avoided her gaze as Malachai turned his gaze to Sarah.

"And the man _I_ love, whose child I'm expecting, is his brother," Sarah added. "You want to kill Junior and our baby as well?"

Malachai heard this and rubbed his temples. "Shit," he muttered under his breath. "This is very inconvenient."

"Why?" Sarah demanded to know. "Why is showing compassion and caring about people such a problem for you?"

"Cause we need you to do the spell!" Malachai cried. "You're the last person in the coven, so you're the one that must recite the spell that will give us the power we need to destroy John and Christian!"

It was at that moment, with all the information at hand that he thought he needed, Christian zapped himself to John's, which made him miss out on some very important information.

"I'm not gonna do it," Sarah said firmly. "I don't give a damn if I'm the only one who can do it or not. I think we're just blowing this all out of proportion."

Malachai sighed. "All right, so that's how you think now," he told her. "You have time to change your mind, though. The spell can't be done until after you give birth, anyway."

"I'm not gonna change my mind," Sarah said firmly. "Even with time. You're making a mistake, Malachai. You really are."

* * *

"Christian!" John cried when he opened the door and his son strode in without so much as a word. "What's going on? What can I do for you?"

Christian sniffed. "What's going on? Why does your house smell like someone's garden?"

"Oh, that's your mother's doing," John told him. "Don't mind it. What can I do for you?"

"Jill went to Malchai's tonight," Christian told him. "I was worried about what they would talk about so I…I turned invisible and spied. And it seems like they have a plan in the works to kill you and me! And my daughter, too. They're making Jill make a choice: either her life and the baby's, or yours and mine, and I think I know which one she'll pick. There's only one choice for a sane person to make. And Sarah…you know Junior's girlfriend Sarah…she's the one who will cast the spell that will give the coven enough power to kill us! What should we do?"

"I think that should be obvious," John told him. "Keep an eye on that Jill. Do whatever you have to do to make sure she doesn't betray you." He came around and grabbed Christian's chin so that his son had to look into his eyes. " _Whatever_ you have to do, Christian. I don't want to hear any complaining about how it might stop Jill from loving you or any nonsense like that. I believe that, given the circumstances we find ourselves in, we're past the point where we can give feelings like that any attention. Do you understand?"

There was a pause, and then Christian nodded, his voice steely. "Yes, Father," he replied. "I understand."

"Good," John told him and let him go. "As for Sarah, don't worry. I'll take care of her."

"Are you gonna kill her?" Christian asked, for the first time realizing just who he was talking to and what the results of his blabbing might be.

"I might," John nodded. "It's a possibility. But like I said, you focus on Jill and leave Sarah to me."

* * *

While he waited for Jill to return home, Christian did a little redecorating, adding a room to their apartment that would hold Jill until he was sure about what could be done about her. It was a simple room, cold and dark with nothing on the walls but the restraints that would keep her where she was supposed to be. Just as he finished making it up, he heard her voice.

"Christian, I'm home! Where are you?"

And that voice…that sweet, lovely, wonderful voice gave him pause. Surely he was wrong about her. Surely he was letting John's fucked up way of thinking mess with his mind. Then he shook the feelings off. John had said that he needed to do whatever he could to make sure Jill wouldn't betray him. And he was right. Better safe than sorry. He shrugged. And besides, it's not like Jill didn't know this was coming. She was expecting it. And it would be _wrong_ not to make her prediction come true.

He got upstairs and when Jill saw him, she smiled and tried to embrace him, but he stepped out of the way without smiling.

"What's the matter?" Jill asked. Are you okay?" Then she looked out the window. The skies darkened. Thunder cracked overhead and rain began to fall. Snowball and Snowflake, usually so well-behaved, began growling. It was probably because they were frightened by the noise, but Jill's heart began to race nonetheless.

Christian expected her to run, but she just locked her eyes on him, crossed her arms, and said in a subdued voice, "It's that time, isn't it? The day we've dreaded has finally come."

"Yes," Christian nodded. "It has. It's good that you're taking it so well. It makes things a lot easier for both of us."

"You can still stop this, you know," Jill told him. "Just because some dumb vision says we have to fight doesn't mean we actually do. You can stop it. You can show you're better than that."

"You know I would love to," Christian told her, putting a hand on her belly. "I'd want that more than anything. But I…I sneaked over to Malachai's house tonight while he was having that little meeting with you and your siblings. I heard that he wants to kill my father and me. I heard him say that if you don't choose to kill us, he'll kill you and the baby."

"You did?" Jill asked. "Oh, my god!" She sat down on the sofa, her eyes in her lap.

"Don't get me wrong," he said as he put his hand under her chin and brought her face up to look at him. "I don't blame you for choosing your life and the life of our child over my father and me. It's a logical choice to make. I would in your place. And this was always the plan, wasn't it? You knew from the beginning that I was a bad guy, and you wanted to teach me a lesson. You wanted me to care for you and love you and feel like I belonged so that when you finally turned around, stabbed me in the back, and did what your father wanted you to, it would hurt me all the more. Is that right?"

"No!" Jill shook her head. "I know what that seems like, but it's not true! I love you, Christian! I do!"

"Oh, shut up!" Christian growled, trying not to cry. "I don't believe anything you say since you've been lying to me all along!"

"Fine!" Jill told him. "What are you going to do now that this idea has settled into your brain? Kill me?"

"Of course not!" Christian shook his head. "Not while you're carrying my child. I won't punish her for your mistakes. It wouldn't be right. So…I have a nice little room prepared for you."

"A room?" Jill asked, not fooled at all. "Don't you mean a dungeon? A prison cell?"

"You can think of it however you want," Christian said coldly as he pulled her to her feet and dragged her to the cold, dark room. Then he ordered her to sit on the ground and he restrained her. "There," he said, smirking with satisfaction. "That looks about right."

"So you're just going to leave me alone in here?" Jill asked.

"Oh, no," Christian put a hand on her face. "You'll see me again, I promise. I won't be taking my eyes off of you for a second." He kissed her coldly and briefly, then stood up and turned around, striding out of the room and locking the door behind him, a move which stopped him from hearing Jill's outraged yells, which would probably get louder when she realized there were spells on the chains and the door which made it impossible for her to get out without his help.

* * *

When Sarah arrived home, her jaw dropped and she let out a shriek. Sean was on the floor, bleeding and barely conscious and Eva was beside him, twitching and unable to speak. She stayed beside them as she heard a crash and lots of yelling, and then her eyes widened as Junior and John made their way into the living room. They were engaged in some intense fighting, but when John saw Sarah, he stopped, hit Junior with a freeze spell, then grabbed her.

"I hope you don't take this too personally," he said to her. "But I know what you have to do for Malachai. It's something that will result in my death and I really can't have that. So you and I…we'll be spending a little time together."

"Do whatever you want to me," Sarah told him. "Just…please don't hurt my baby."

"I don't want to," John told her. "But we'll see what happens." Then, he brought Junior back to life just in time for him to see Sarah be taken away and feel like he could do absolutely nothing to help.


	70. Like So Many Chess Pieces

"What in the world are you doing with her?" Freya asked when John arrived home with Sarah. "You aren't planning to hurt her, are you?"

"Well if he is, I'll punch him!" Sarah shouted. Then she narrowed her eyes at John. "Let me go now."

"Yes," Freya told him. "Let her go."

John growled and pushed her into Freya's arms and said, "She's gonna be responsible for killing me some day."

"Well, after all you put her through I don't blame her," Freya returned dryly. "So she's with Malachai?"

"Yes," John nodded. "She's the only one who can say the spell that will give him and his bunch enough power to defeat us, so here she is."

"At least tell me how long you plan on keeping me here," Sarah requested. "It can't be forever!"

"Can't it?" John asked. "I think it can."

Sarah looked at Freya. "Is he joking? Please tell me he's joking."

"Even if he isn't, no harm will come to you, I promise," Freya assured her. "Let's get you a room where you can wait until someone comes storming in to rescue you."

"Don't get her hopes up, Freya," John chided her. "It could be that _no one_ will come to rescue her."

"Of course they will," Freya told him. "What about the father of her child? Surely he has some interest in her staying alive."

"And my father," Sarah added, narrowing her eyes. "Malachai will find out about you kidnapping me and he'll come and kick your ass for it!"

"We'll just see," John told her as Freya hustled her into a bedroom to wait.

"Sorry about this," she told her. "I really am. How are you feeling? How's your baby?"

"Good, thanks," Sarah replied. "Do you really think John will hurt me? Should I be worried?"

"Not while I'm here," Freya promised. "Does Junior know you've been kidnapped?"

"Yes!" Sarah nodded. "John had him frozen with a spell and then unfroze him before he took me away, so Sean saw and definitely knows. He'll be here any minute."

"Good," Freya nodded. "You stay here and I'll go wait at the door for him. If he knows as much as you say, he'll probably be here by now. Someone should let him in."

"Thanks," Sarah told her. "It's nice to know that not everyone connected to John is crazy."

"I admit that I started out that way," Freya confessed. "But experience made me grow up." She then zapped Sarah some magazines and then went to wait by the door for Junior.

* * *

"I wondered when you were gonna show up," Freya told Junior when he strode into their house after she opened the door to his rapid and unrelenting knock. "Sarah was here and I figured you wouldn't be far behind."

"Did he hurt her?" Junior asked. "Cause if he hurt her or our baby just because of some sick power play, I'll fight him again. I held my own for quite a while last time."

"I would have loved to see that," Freya told him. "And don't worry, Sarah's not hurt. She's extremely angry, but okay." She led him to the room where Sarah was hanging out, and when he saw her, Junior ran in and gave her a hug.

"I'm so glad you're safe!" He said as he took her in his arms and kissed her over and over. "I'm so sorry I couldn't protect you. I'm so sorry…"

She let him go on like this for some time, and then finally held him at a distance. "It's okay," she assured him. "I'm not hurt, I swear." She gestured at Freya. "You can thank her for that. She kept me safe."

Freya flushed a little. "Well, it was nothing, really," she said.

"Thank you," Junior told her. "I mean it." He sat down next to Sarah and took her in his arms before asking, "What do you think we should do now? Obviously, John won't just let me walk out the door with her."

"We could always disappear from here," Sarah suggested. "Let's try it."

So they tried and the weird thing was that although Junior could, Sarah could not. "What the hell is going on?" Sarah asked grumpily. "Why isn't my magic working?"

Freya sighed. "It's probably some trick that John came up with. I'll go ask."

"Thank you!" Junior called after her.

She stomped into John's office and said, "Would you like to explain to me why Sean's magic works in this house and Sarah's does not?"

"Well was Sarah trying to get away?" John asked her.

"I think she's entitled to leave," Freya told him. "What did you do?"

"I knew that I would eventually have to hold at least one of Malachai's children hostage here, so I put a spell on the house that would keep them from leaving until I wanted them to," John explained. "And since Sarah is one of Malachai's children, and Sean is one of mine, that's why his powers work and Sarah's don't."

"Oh, you really _are_ something else!" Freya huffed. "So you're just gonna keep Sarah here? For how long?"

"Until she delivers," John said firmly. "Then I'll cast a spell to weaken her magic so she can't do what she needs to for Malachai that will end in my death and send her on her way."

Freya chuckled. "You know, it's so hilarious that you think it will be as easy as all that."

"Why wouldn't it be?" John asked. "I'm one of the most powerful beings to ever exist. Nothing can defeat me?"

"Oh, please!" Freya replied. "All I had to do was spray that lilac stuff in the living room and you were on your knees begging me to make it go away. As highly as you think of yourself, you're easy to defeat if the person knows your weak spots. I do. And if you overstep, I'd be more than happy to share them."

John straightened up and leaned forward so they were nearly nose to nose. "You know, I was thinking that we might do something romantic tonight," he told her. "But if you're feeling spiteful and vindictive enough to blab all my secrets, then that might not be something in the cards."

"Oh, I feel so bad!" Freya said and then stuck her tongue out. "You're not even the romantic sort anyway. It's not like I'm missing much."

"You could be," John told her. "You don't know."

"All this messing around with Sarah is gonna come and bite you in the ass," Freya told him. "And I'm gonna laugh when it happens. I really am." She then went to tell Junior about why he could use his powers and Sarah couldn't.

"Well, that makes sense," Junior sighed. "Thanks for letting us know."

"You're welcome," Freya replied with a nod. "Now…do you think there is anyone else you should call and inform them about this situation? If you can think of someone, I suggest you do so. We wouldn't want him suffering forever."

"You're right," Junior nodded. "I think I'll give that someone a call right now. And he'll probably be motivated to come over here and sort things out face to face."

"I hope he is," Freya grinned. "That sounds like fun."

* * *

In a move that really irritated John, Junior called Malachai to tell him what John had done with Sarah, and of course, that made Malachai come to their door.

"I'm not letting you in," John told him. "Why would I let the man who wants to kill me into my house? Why would I let him have anything?"

"Cause you know it's wrong to kidnap people," Freya told him. "Now let Malachai in so he can get Sarah and they can go home."

John let Malachai in, but that was as far as he got. "I'm not just gonna _give_ you Sarah," he said. "You have to _earn_ her."

"How?" Malachai wanted to know. "What do you have in mind?"

"Chess," John replied. "Do you know how to play chess? If you win, Sarah gets to go home with you. And if I win, she stays with me, at least until her child is delivered."

"Fine, I'll play with you," Malachai replied. "As long as you don't cheat."

"Chess?" Freya asked, pouting. "That's the way you're gonna solve this? That's disappointing."

"You were expecting a fight to the death, I suppose," John told her. "And hoping that I would lose."

"Yes to the first part and not necessarily yes to the second," Freya corrected. "No one really needs to die at all. You just need to stop being stubborn and let Sarah go home. It's a simple thing, really."

"And that will be done once we finish playing chess and I win," Malachai assured her as John zapped up a chessboard and sat by the black pieces. "Good choice," he told him dryly. That seems fitting."

They began to play and Freya brought Junior and Sarah in for what turned out to be a nail-biting match. Every time Malachai lost a piece to John, Sarah squeezed Junior's hand tight.

True to his word, John didn't cheat, but luckily, in the end, Malachai beat him. "Checkmate," he said as he moved his rook forward, leaving John's king in the corner of the board, unable to move anywhere. "Looks like I win and Sarah gets to go home."

"No," John shook his head and pushed the board aside. "I want a re-match! I know you cheated somehow. I'm way more experienced than you!"

"No," Malachai said simply as he got up and held out his hand to Sarah. "We're leaving. Goodbye."

John ran toward the door and put a spell on it so no one could leave. "Come on, Malachai. No one likes a cheater. Give me another chance."

Malachai chuckled. "I never thought I'd see you beg and whine like this," he told him. "It's really unattractive." He paused. "You wanna open the door now? I'm not playing you again."

John stood, pouting with his arms crossed like a child.

"I'll get the door for you," Freya offered, and after some work, managed to let Malachai and the kids out before shutting the door behind her and going to rejoin John, who was still cursing Malachai and his alleged cheating tactics under his breath. But Freya had another idea about why John had lost.

"It was really nice of you to lose on purpose so that Sarah could go home," she said and put her arms around him. "That's what I'm assuming you did, right? Cause I know you're much too skilled at something like chess after all the years you've had to learn it to just _lose_. Especially to a guy who's so much younger than you are." She grinned. "I'm proud of you, John. There might just be some good in that black heart of yours after all."

Although her guess was incorrect, it soothed John's wounded ego to play along with it. He took Freya's hand and smiled as he led her toward the bedroom. "Yes," he said with a grin. "Sometimes I feel generous, what can I say?"


	71. Sam And Leslie's Vacation

"I have an idea and I hope you can go along with it," Leslie said to Sam as she sat on a bar stool and watched him do inventory of what was behind the bar. "If Roxie can let you go for a week or so and you don't have any gigs scheduled, what would you say to a road trip? You know, an expanded honeymoon? Not that those days we were holed up upstairs weren't wonderful, but I…I've always had the urge to, you know, see the country and everything. This could be a good time to do that." She paused. "Unless you've seen enough when touring and it's of no interest to you."

"No, we could do it," Sam said, a wicked idea forming in his head. "When do you want to leave?"

"We don't have to go now, of course," Leslie told him. "I still have reservations and stuff to make. They don't just let you _stroll_ into five star hotels, you know."

"Oh, come on," Sam scoffed. "If we're gonna do this, we have to do it right. Leave the planning to me, will you?"

"I don't know," Leslie said, a feeling seeping into her gut that she didn't like. "What sort of planning are you going to do? It's nothing _bad_ , right?"

"No, of course not," Sam told her. "You want this trip to be memorable and so do I. What's memorable about going to a five star hotel every day? That's probably the way you've done everything. Don't you want to have a bit of an adventure? It'll only be this one time, I promise. Then you can go back to your room service and your massages and your silk sheets." His lip curled and he shuddered.

"And just what is wrong about being pampered on vacation?" Leslie wanted to know. "You talk like it's torture!"

"It's just that…I see vacations as time to, you know, _do_ stuff," Sam replied. "Fish, hike, hunt, stuff like that. It's not that you're wrong and you can like what you like, but…for once can we try it my way? Please? You might like it once you get used to it."

"I don't think I'll _ever_ get used to it," Leslie told him. "But since it's only gonna be this once, I suppose I can tough my way through whatever madness you have in store for me."

"That's my girl," Sam grinned as he came around the bar and hugged her. "It'll be fun, I promise."

* * *

"So what is this surprise you have for me?" Leslie asked, her voice full of excitement as Sam led her out to the parking lot when he returned over the lunch hour a few days later with the vehicle that would take them on their cross-country trek. Though she had been nervous at first when he'd suggested taking over the plans, she had decided later to relax. It was supposed to be an enjoyable vacation for them. He wouldn't put her through hell and ruin that. He'd promised.

He stopped her and then told her to open her eyes, which had been closed since they'd stepped out of the building. "When you open your eyes, you will see the car that will take us on our trip," he announced.

Leslie opened her eyes and gasped. All she saw in front of them was a bright orange camper. "Okay, where's the car?" She asked. "I see an ugly hulking camper that's a terrible shade of orange, but that can't be it."

"Well, it is!" Sam smiled. "That's part of the whole road trip experience. Maybe once you see inside it will help ease your mind."

But that didn't help. It just made things worse.

"We don't have a toilet or a shower!" Leslie raged. "And do you see how cramped it all is in there? I can't live like that for a week!"

"Think of it as an experience that will bring us closer together," Sam said as he put an arm around her.

"Of course we'll be close together," Leslie huffed. "Like I said before, there's not even any space to breathe!" She paused. "Can we leave tomorrow? Or in the next few days, anyway? I want to get through this and get home as soon as possible."

"All right," Sam told her. "I'll talk to Roxie and see if we can't leave tomorrow. That means you should probably get to packing."

"Packing?" Leslie asked. "You mean you actually want me to bring clothes? I thought you would say you wanted us to run around naked and stuff cause that's what this trip was all about."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "I thought you wouldn't go for that, but you know, whatever floats your boat. If you want to run around naked, I won't protest."

"That's not gonna happen," Leslie told him, giving him a tight smile. "Not all the time, anyway."

"Oh, well," Sam grinned back. "I had to give it a try."

* * *

"All right, time to get up!" Sam told her a couple of mornings later. "Time to get up so we can start our trip and not end up at our stopping point for the day too late."

Leslie woke up and blinked several times while trying to get her bearings because he'd pulled her out of a really sound sleep. She looked at the clock and groaned. "Sam, it's four in the morning. Can't we wait a few hours? I'm still sleepy!"

"That's fine," he said, picking her up and carrying her to the car. "I'll drive for the first few hours while you sleep. Where's your bag?"

"I don't know," Leslie groaned. "It's dark and I can't see anything. And I'm in my pajamas, Sam!"

"I know, it's adorable," Sam told her. Then he went inside, found her bag, threw it in the back, and then they were off on their trip.

Things were nice and peaceful until Leslie got some coffee in her and burst to life just before noon. "I still can't believe you conned me into doing this," she huffed. "You'll probably make me bathe in a river and eat bugs or something. You really are just…well, I don't know _what_ you are, but if we make it through this and still like each other, it'll be a miracle."

"Do you really hate this idea so much that you're gonna hold a grudge forever?" Sam asked. He then paused and pulled the camper off to the side of the road, then hopped out and ran behind a tree. Then when he came back, Leslie stared at him.

"What did you just do?" She asked.

"I had to go to the bathroom," he pointed out. "And like you said, this doesn't have any toilets, so we have to wait for a rest stop or go wherever there's a tree or something."

Leslie then stared at the coffee cup she was drinking from and slowly put it down in the cup holder. "How long until the next rest stop?" She asked.

"If you have to go, the tree is right out there," Sam told her.

"No, I don't have to go now!" She snapped. "And even if I did, I wouldn't go behind a tree! I'm just asking so I can plan my eating and drinking accordingly."

"Oh, all right," Sam nodded. "I think it said thirty miles on the road sign I saw."

"Good," Leslie nodded and took some deep breaths. "I think I can handle that."

"Well, good, but you don't have to be a hero," Sam reminded her. "Any time you need to go, just tell me and if we're not near a rest stop, we'll figure something out."

"Sounds good to me," Leslie nodded and stared out the window.

* * *

When they finally pulled into a campground that night, Sam put a hand on Leslie's back and then hugged her. "Thank you so much for driving those last several miles," he told her. "I really appreciate it."

"Well, you drove most of the day, so you deserved a break," she told him. "It was my pleasure. And thank you for letting me stop at those road markers for the fruit stand and that biggest ball of twine. That was fun. Well, for me it was fun. Maybe not for you, so much."

"It had some appeal," Sam conceded and then held up the bag they got from the fruit stand. "And do you know how long it's been since I've had peaches? Seriously, I'm really gonna enjoy these."

"And I put the preserves in the back, so we can have toast and jelly tomorrow," Leslie told him. She then stretched out her arms and what she could of the rest of her body. "You know, all that driving's kind of made me stiff."

"Well, I can remedy that," Sam told her and began massaging her neck. "Is this where it's a problem?"

"Yes, but…" She leaned forward and saw something sparkling in the moonlight. "I think there's a lake over there. Or some other body of water. You want to go for a swim? I don't think it will get us in trouble."

"All right," Sam grinned. "Let's do it!"

They left the camper and ran to the lake, quickly stripping off their clothing and swimming a bit before Sam took her in his arms and they began kissing and as he pushed into her, something brushed against her leg and she ignored it the first time, but when it happened a second time, she pulled away, let out a shriek, apologized to Sam, then sprinted out of the lake and ran back to the camper.

"Okay, what happened?" Sam asked, noticing her heavy breathing.

"I felt something brush up against my ankle!" She cried. "It was slimy and cold and…ugh!" She shuddered.

"It was probably weeds or a fish or something," Sam tried to calm her. "Nothing serious."

"Are you sure?" Leslie asked.

"Would I lie to you?" Sam asked, looking into her eyes.

"Well, I know you would, but I hope it wouldn't be about something that absolutely terrifies me." She replied.

"Of course not," Sam told her. "Why don't we get some sleep? We're gonna have to be wide awake for driving tomorrow."

"Good," Leslie nodded. "I'm ready to sleep."

But when they tried to squeeze in the tiny bed, they found out there wasn't enough room for both of them to sleep the way they liked.

"I'll go sleep on the table or something," Sam offered. "You have the bed."

"No, you don't have to do that," Leslie insisted and moved over a little so that she was right up against the wall. They shifted positions again and again, until it finally became too much for the flimsy camper bed, which promptly broke.

"Well, shit," Leslie swore as they both ended up on the floor in a tangle of sheets. "Does this mean we'll both have to sleep on the table? I would fix the bed with my magic or make it bigger, but I don't think there's enough room for that and I don't want to go against the road trip experience."

"You've learned the motto," Sam told her as they made a little fort in the camper and arranged the pillows and blankets in a way that was comfortable for them to lair down. "If something doesn't work, we'll find a way to fix it." He kissed her then and said, "Thank you for being such a good sport about this."

"You're welcome," Leslie told him. Then she giggled as he took her in his arms, nibbled on her neck and then slipped inside her again.

"This is much more comfortable, isn't it?" He whispered against her ear as he grabbed her hand to kiss her fingers.

"Yeah," Leslie grinned. "I won't have much trouble sleeping tonight."

* * *

A couple of days later, Sam decided to give Leslie a break and the camper parked in the parking lot of a motel with a broken neon sign whose better days had probably been a few decades ago. But because it wasn't the camper, Leslie was more than happy to go inside and pay the badly dressed, greasy man at the counter no mind.

He gave them a key to a room that was only slightly nicer than the camper they usually slept in. No, that would be an insult to the camper. The only good thing about this room was that it was bigger.

"So do you want to start with the shower?" Sam asked her. "I can go after you."

"Yes, that would be nice," Leslie nodded. "Thanks. I just hope they have hot water."

As Sam settled down on the bed to rest his eyes, Leslie went into the bathroom, undressed, and turned the shower on.

Thankfully the water was warm and Leslie relaxed under the water for several minutes. But while she showered, a cockroach crawled in the window and over the showerhead, dropping in her hair. She didn't notice it then, but when it crawled onto her face and then fell onto her face and then into her open mouth as she shrieked, she noticed.

Sam was awakened from his doze by her shrieking and he burst into the bathroom, alarmed to see her bent over the toilet and throwing up. "What's the matter?" He asked, his voice full of alarm. "Are you sick?"

"No, I just…a cockroach got it my mouth, Sam!" She cried and then gagged again just thinking about it. "It was black and shiny and…in my mouth!" She burst into tears then and threw herself in his arms.

"It's okay," he said as he tried to calm her. "Those aren't poisonous or anything. "You have every right to be disgusted, but you weren't in any real danger." He suggested she rest then, and she did, after thoroughly checking the mattress for bedbugs or anything else that was gross. When it had passed inspection, she settled down to sleep and hoped Sam wouldn't eat any bugs in the shower.

* * *

The next day, they stopped at an area that was known for its fishing. You could catch what you wanted, but the other catch, so to speak, was that you had to clean, prepare, and cook it yourself.

"Let me show you how to do this," Sam told her when she seemed dismayed at this fact. Slowly and carefully, they cleaned and prepared the fish and then Sam fried it up and they ate it.

"Good?" He asked.

"Yeah, you really do have a way with this," she nodded. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Sam returned. "If you get a bone, I'm sorry. They're small and sometimes you miss 'em."

"It's fine," Leslie told him with a smile.

"You wanna eat the ones you catch tomorrow?" Sam asked.

"You really think I'd be any good at that?" She asked.

"Of course!" Sam nodded. "You can do anything you want to."

"All right," Leslie nodded. "Tomorrow, we eat my fish."

* * *

Leslie was all ready to fish the following day and to Sam's surprise, she enthusiastically caught several that would keep them fed for at least one meal a day until the end of the trip. But that night, she started scratching herself.

"Are you okay?" He asked as he got some blood from a cooler in the trunk. "What's the matter?"

"I'm just really itching all over!" Leslie told him. "Oh, god, will it stop?"

After looking her over, Sam gave her the bad news that she'd gotten poison oak or poison ivy. "I thought that was the plant that was by the lake," he remarked. "But I wasn't sure."

"You _knowingly_ exposed me to poison ivy or oak or whatever?" Leslie asked, her eyes narrowed. "Oh, that's real nice! Thanks a heap!"

"Stop scratching," he said. "It's only gonna make it worse."

"Easy for you to say!" Leslie snapped and then went to grab a pan to swing at his head. "You're not the one who's all itchy!"

Sam avoided the blow and then held out a bottle of calamine lotion. "Here!" He said and covered his face with his free hand. "We'll put this on you and it will make the itching go away. Hitting me won't help anything!"

"It'll make me feel a little better," Leslie huffed. But she undressed and let Sam slather her with goopy pink lotion.

"I bet I look really attractive, don't I?" She asked afterward.

"Yes," Sam nodded without missing a beat. "Pink is a very becoming color on you."

Leslie chuckled and shook her head. "I'm sorry I tried to hit you," she apologized.

"I'm sorry you're uncomfortable," he told her. "It'll go away eventually, though."

"I know, but it won't be fun until then, will it?" Leslie replied with a sigh.

* * *

"How was the honeymoon trip?" Annie asked as both Sam and Leslie fell through her and Damon's front door on their return. "Was it fun?"

"I don't know if that would be the first word that would spring to mind," Leslie told her sister. "Most of the words I would use to describe my dear husband and this stupid trip have four letters!"

"Oh, it wasn't so bad!" Sam told her. "You did great! You were gutting two or three fish in minutes toward the end there. And the only reason why you hate it is because of the poison oak or ivy or whatever it is you're covered with we had fun a lot of the time."

"Yeah," Leslie conceded and scratched even though she wasn't supposed to. "I guess you have a point."

"You made her gut fish?" Damon asked his son, raising an eyebrow. "Sam, did you trick her into doing something awful?"

"He did!" Leslie cried. "He made me think we were gonna go on a fun cross-country road trip with five star hotels and massages and that didn't happen!"

"No, I never told you that was what we were doing," Sam replied. "That's just what _you_ wanted. The second you saw the camper, you should have known what was in store."

"Yeah, I should have," Leslie finally conceded. "And it was certainly a memorable trip, for sure. I might be up for another one sometime."

"You might?" Sam asked in amazement as Leslie sat down next to Annie with her camera and showed her the trip pictures

"Yes," Leslie told him. "As long as it's a _very_ long time from now."

"Could you use a drink?" Damon asked Leslie. "Poison plants are a real bitch."

"Yes, thank you," Leslie nodded and asked that he make her a rum and Coke. "I really could use a drink right now."

"I figured you could," Damon smiled and put a hand on her shoulder. "I'll be out with it in a jiffy."


	72. He's As Cold As Ice

"Oh, oh, yes, Malachai!" Victoria cried as Kai pushed into her. "Do it again, do it again!" Just as Kai was about to grant that wish, his phone rang.

"Who the hell could that be?" Kai huffed as he reluctantly detached himself, got out of bed, and reached for his phone on the bedside table, groaning especially loud when he saw it was John who was calling. "What?" He snapped.

"I need you to come over to my house," John told him. "Now."

"What's so urgent?" Kai wanted to know. "I'm kind of in the middle of something here."

"Don't forget that what you must do for me in exchange for what I did for you is be at my beck and call when I need you," John reminded him.

"Well, it's very hard to fulfill my part of things when you keep interrupting and wanting things from me!" Kai pointed out. "But all right. I'll be there in a minute." He hung up, zapped clothes on, and apologized to Victoria.

"It's fine," she said. "You made a deal with the devil and now he's collecting. We can continue this later. That's not a problem."

"You're such a good sport, Vicky," Kai smiled. "Maybe I can kill John after I talk to him and we'll never have to be interrupted by him ever again."

"I don't think that's going to actually be possible," Victoria smiled at him. "But it's a nice thought, anyway."

"Isn't it just, though?" Kai grinned and disappeared, hoping he wouldn't be gone for very long. He had better things to do than listen to John whine, that was for sure.

* * *

"What is it that you want, John?" He huffed when he arrived in his boss's office. "I was in the middle of something important and I would much rather be doing than listening to you."

"I know," John nodded. "You mentioned that." He paused. "What was it like growing up with your mother?" He asked. "Was it awful? Did you hate it?"

"I don't really see what that has to do with anything, but yes," Kai nodded. "I think I can safely say that I hated my mother. No way around that."

"Witches are just…they're awful, aren't they?" John continued. "Not just your mother. Every single damn one of them."

"I wouldn't say all of them are, but some definitely have their issues," Kai nodded.

"Thinking they're better than everyone for no reason at all," John scoffed. "Just because it was three _women_ that created the magical species in this world. That doesn't make them better, does it? In fact, before them, men were considered better, like it should be. My father was the one who was in charge. He had to pick from my three sisters who would rule after him. Or he _chose_ to pick from my three sisters who would follow him. Cause they had the most powerful magic. They created all this stuff and then some idiot decided because of that, women were better than men at magic."

"And what about you?" Kai asked. "Why did he leave you out? Were you not powerful enough?"

"Oh, I was powerful enough," John said, getting right in Kai's face. "I was just as powerful as any of them. But because I didn't flaunt it, because I much rather preferred to spend my time reading or looking at the stars, Father didn't think too much of me. He tried to make me more ruthless. Beat me every day, sometimes more than once. But I never became the person he wanted."

"Childhood issues of inadequacy led to all this," Kai nodded. "Classic."

"But he'd like me now," John said, rambling on again as if Kai hadn't said a word. "He would! I'd make that man proud!"

"Did you invite me here just to ramble on?" Kai asked. "Cause you seem to be having conversations with yourself, so if I'm not necessary, I'll just be going now. It was nice talking to you."

"Fine, go," John said. Kai left and John was alone with his thoughts, wondering if he should start paying more attention to Freya. He'd been so busy with his own plans that it was possible she could be plotting something right under his nose without him knowing anything about it. He would watch her. But first, after what happened with Christian, he had to go tell Junior to be on his guard, and make it clear who the real enemy was. Christian had been the first target and he didn't want Junior to be next.

* * *

"What do you _mean_ you're thinking about giving up on the coven?" Astrid asked, her voice filled with panic as Malachai and Helene broke the news to her over dinner. "You can't just give up the coven! How the hell are we supposed to defeat John without it? Was this your plan all along? To build up our hopes and then dash them at the last minute, Malachai McCullough?"

"Astrid calm down," Alistair told his wife as he put a hand on her shoulder. "Take a deep breath. I'm sure that's not what he meant."

"It really wasn't," Malachai promised. "When I made up the coven, I thought that I knew exactly the sort of threat we were facing. But then Christian came along, and so did Junior, and two of my girls are in love with them and…I just don't know how it'll work. Don't worry, we'll still help you fight. We just need to think of a new way to do it."

"And we will," Helene assured her mother. "Be patient."

"How can I be patient when I don't know how much time we have?" Astrid cried. "John could blow us all up tomorrow!"

"I'm sure it's not that bad," Malachai told her.

"Yeah," Helene nodded. "Just try and relax."

"I don't think that will happen," Astrid shook her head. "Between the stress of whatever John's got in store and all the coffee I have to drink to put in the hours I need to, relaxing hasn't been high on my list."

"After all this is over, I'm taking your mother on a _long_ vacation,"Alistair said as he kissed Astrid's hair. "She needs it."

"I think that's a great idea," Helene replied. "And that we'll _all_ need a vacation when this mess is over."

* * *

Since he'd done all he could with Christian at the moment, John decided to see if he could get anyone else to do something for him. Cause even though Christian had been made specifically to push his cause forward, that didn't mean everyone else was off the hook.

After Christian, the boy he had the most hopes for was Junior. And it had been some time since they'd had a talk.

"What do you want?" Junior asked tiredly when he answered the door to John's knock.

"Now it's time for you to fulfill your destiny," John told him.

"What destiny?" Junior scoffed and made more of an effort to block the door so that John couldn't get in. "Turning against a woman I love and doing your bidding? No, no. You have Christian to do that. I won't be part of it."

John growled and forced his way into the house, knocking Junior on the floor once he crossed the threshold. "Why does it always have to be this way, Sean?" He asked. "Why is it that we can never have a peaceful discussion? Why do you always have to start a fight?"

"Because every time you come visit, you never just want to talk," Junior pointed out. "You always try to make me do stuff I don't want to do. Why can't you just want to bond with me like a normal father?"

John rolled his eyes. "You should know by now that that isn't how I operate, son."

"True," Junior agreed. "Every kid you have is a pawn to further your plans. You don't see us as people. I'm not coming with you, no matter what you say. Nothing will change my mind."

John then disappeared and Junior barely had time to take a relieved breath before his father reappeared, his arm around Sarah. "I'm sure something could change your mind," he said.

"You better not hurt her," Junior said.

"Yes, that would be very sad for you, wouldn't it?" John asked as he put a hand on Sarah's belly. "She seems very close to delivering."

"I might be really pregnant, but I could still kick your ass if I had to," Sarah said as he grabbed her by the hair and slapped her. "Don't speak unless you're spoken to!" He demanded.

"Don't you do that to her!" Junior cried. "Where the hell is your sense of decency?"

"I'm surprised you even think I'm capable of having one," John said as Sarah managed to wrest herself from his grip and watched with horror as once again, John and Junior began to fight.

"Why are you doing this?" Sarah yelled at the love of her life. "It didn't hurt that bad!"

"But it's the principle of the thing!" Junior said and plowed his fist into John's face. "I can't have him hurting you like that and not do anything. What kind of a man would that make me?"

"What started all this, anyway?" Sarah asked.

"I just wanted to talk," John replied as Junior tried to kick him, but John grabbed his leg, which made him fall on the floor. "But apparently, Sean would rather fight instead. He didn't even let me tell him why I wanted his attention in the first place."

"Okay, tell me," Sarah told him. "What is it that you came over here for?"

"Malachai and your brothers have decided that it's time to start attacking my children," John told her. "They did a number on Christian and I'm sure Junior is next on the list. I just wanted him to know."

"Well, that's nice," Sarah said. "Sean, why the hell won't you listen to that?"

"You believe that's all he came for?" Sean scoffed. "Sarah, I can't believe you would be that naïve! He wants me to do something bad for him, and I bet he'll do whatever ruthless thing he can think of to manipulate me."

"I don't see what's wrong about asking you to defend your brother," John said. "But you're right," he grabbed Sarah. "I am willing to use despicable methods to get what I want." They then disappeared, Sarah's shriek still echoing off the walls even after they'd gone.

"You bastard!" Sean cried and punched the wall before heading to his parents' house to tell them and his aunt and uncle what had happened. And maybe if he asked nicely, his parents would call Sarah's and break the news to them because even though it was cowardly to say so, he didn't really relish having _that_ conversation.

* * *

"You know," Sarah remarked as John tied her wrists and ankles together after sitting her down in a chair. "It's not very sporting to take me somewhere and not leave Sean clues or something if you're trying to get him to do what you want. How will he tell you if he decides to acquiesce?"

"'If'?" John chuckled. "You really don't think he will? That doesn't leave a lot of hope for your relationship, does it?"

"Well, Sean is very stubborn," Sarah replied. "I mean, I have every confidence that he'll come and save me. I just don't know how long it will take for him to get to the point where he can make the decision."

"Don't you think that you deserve a man who would make the decision without hesitation?" John pointed out. "Maybe you deserve better than my son."

"Perhaps I do," Sarah replied and locked eyes on him. "But that's none of your damn business, is it? Where are we, by the way?"

"We're in a cave," John told her. "Many miles away from your house. Very useful things, caves."

"Why is that?" Sarah asked. He was standing in front of something and when he moved to the side, she saw it was a fire. She gasped when she saw that he was holding a poker that was glowing orange with heat. He came and put it against the skin of her arm and she let out a shriek, tears of pain rolling down her cheeks. "Stop please!" She cried. "That hurts!"

"Does it?" John asked sarcastically. "I had no idea. And we're in a cave far away so no one can hear you scream." He put it a few other places and then finally put it down, waited til the burns healed, and then said, "Would you like to see what they did to Christian?" He asked in a very confidential tone, a smile curving his lips. "Let me show you how your father and brothers hurt my son."

"Like I have a choice when I'm tied up like this," Sarah spat, her dark eyes full of hatred.

"You're right," John giggled. "You don't. And once you experience what Christian experienced, maybe you'll be willing to convince my son to join me." He first disabled her powers and then just started beating on her. Over and over, grinning wider and wider, especially as some of her blood spurted onto his face. Then, when he broke her arm, he thought the shriek that followed was from that, but it turned out to be for a very different reason.

"I think my water broke!" She managed to get out in a very pained voice. "In fact, I'm very sure of that."

"Your child is coming?" John asked in shocked voice, offended that a baby would have the nerve to interrupt his torture.

"Yes, my child is coming," she gritted her teeth. "And I have to thank you. Compared to all the shit you're putting me through, these contractions hardly hurt at all."

He growled and untied her, letting her rest on the cave floor, her bare bottom half covered by a blanket he zapped up for modesty's sake, then stood back and waited.

"What are you doing?" She asked. "You mean, you're not going to help me?"

"What the hell would you want me to do?" He asked. "I don't know how to deliver children! I thought you women were supposed to be experts at that sort of thing!"

"Well, I probably know more than you," she conceded. "But that doesn't mean I don't need a little help."

"Fine, I'll help you," John told her through gritted teeth and did a spell he'd seen in a book that was supposed to speed delivery along. There was something else he did too, which Sarah discovered soon after. She felt the baby's head emerge, but heard nothing.

"Did it come out?" She asked when she was sure it had. "Shouldn't it be crying by now?"

"It would," John replied, holding the bundle that contained his new little granddaughter out of her sight so that she couldn't see the child was alive and moving, just magically silent. "It would, if it were alive. But you delivered a stillborn child. I'm sorry."

The words hit Sarah like a ton of bricks. She should have expected something like this after all he'd put her through. She was so overcome with emotion that it didn't even occur to her to question whether or not he was telling the truth.

As she sobbed on the cave floor, John told her, "I'll go and bury it for you. It would probably overwhelm you too much to see your child now."

And before Sarah could even get out a protest that she in fact _wanted_ to have a few moments with her child to at least say 'Hello', John had strode from the cave, taking the child with him.

Once he was outside, he looked down at the bundle. For a moment, he seriously thought about killing it. It would be so simple, and they would be rid of a needless distraction. Especially since it was a girl, and witches were always more trouble than they were worth. But just as he put his hand over the child's nose and mouth, something stopped him.

This child was his own flesh and blood. And he couldn't harm his own flesh and blood, not when they hadn't done anything to deserve it but breathe. Instead, he found himself going to an orphanage, and telling the woman who answered the door what happened.

"My wife, she…she's just died delivering our child," he got out, his voice full of emotion he didn't really feel. "And I…as much as I love her, I don't think I could raise her on my own. Would you take her and make sure she's given to someone who can raise her well? Please?"

"Oh, you poor man," the woman replied, taking the baby and inviting him inside. "Of course we will. She'll be very well taken care of, don't you worry."

"Thank you," he said as someone else brought him some tea. "That means the world to me, you know." After he finished his tea, he zapped himself back to the cave where Sarah was still crying.

"Oh, will you stop?" He demanded and kicked her. "How is your sniveling going to help? You gave birth, the child was dead. Get over it and move on!"

"It was a girl," Sarah got out. "And damn it, I can cry all I want for my daughter. Fuck you, you heartless son of a bitch! If I promise to tell Sean what happened with Christian, will you take me home?"

"Yes," John nodded. "Yes, I will."


	73. The One Thing I Tried To Hold On To

After John brought her home, Sarah locked herself in her room and refused to talk to anyone, not even Junior. It took him a couple of days to get what happened out of her.

"He did _what_?" Junior asked, his heart twisting as she described what John had put her through. "I-I'm sorry."

"That's all you can say?" Sarah asked. "Your father kidnapped me, tortured me, and took away our baby, and all you can think to say is 'I'm sorry'? You know, if you would have just gone along with him to start out with instead of fighting with him, we wouldn't be in this position."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I'll side with him now if he asks," Junior tried to calm her.

Sarah growled, her dark eyes stormy. "Doesn't do me a whole lot of good now, does it?"

"So did he…did he kill the baby?" Junior asked after a silence. "Is that what happened?"

"No, he…he said she was born dead," Sarah told him, her voice breaking a little. "And I didn't hear anything when she came out of me, but…something in my gut is telling me she's alive out there somewhere. Cause as nutty as John is, would he really kill someone that he could eventually use for his own gain?"

"If it was a girl he might," Junior sighed. "But of course we'll think that he didn't." He tried to take Sarah's hand, but she kept it out of his reach. "So what are you gonna do now?" He asked. "Are you just gonna stay in here forever?"

"How can you be so cold?" Sarah asked. "Don't you even care that our baby is gone? You're acting like I lost a sock or something! You're as cold as John! You don't even give a shit about your own child!"

"Just a minute!" Junior yelled, then softened his voice because he saw Sarah flinch. "Just because it's not in my nature to sob buckets at every little thing doesn't mean I don't care! I do, all right? I care a lot! I just don't think a lot of blubbering solves anything! So while you get your tears out, I'm gonna do what we're both dreading."

"And what's that?" Sarah asked. "What could I possibly dread more than what's already happened?"

"Telling our parents why they aren't gonna have a grandkid any time soon," Junior reminded her. "And if your dad shows any glee about it, I'll punch him for you."

"When are you planning on doing this?" Sarah asked, lying down.

"As soon as possible, I think," Junior told her. "I don't see the point in dragging it out."

"Yeah, I don't either," Sarah shook her head. "Good luck."

* * *

Though he'd offered to tell their parents about what had happened with John alone so Sarah wouldn't have to think about it, Sarah changed her mind and insisted on being there when both sets of parents were told what had happened.

"I knew it!" Matthew shouted and bundled Sarah into his arms, hiding her face in his shirt so she wouldn't have to look at him anymore. "I knew that if she got involved with you, there would be unnecessary trouble!"

"Excuse me!" Mary cried indignantly, her curly red hair flying everywhere as she whipped around to face Matthew. "It's not like he meant for any of this to happen. Things do! And don't you act like this is some big tragedy for you and that you care more than anyone! You didn't even want her to have that baby in the first place! I bet you're glad it's dead!"

"Oh, don't you excuse him!" Matthew told her, ignoring most of what she said cause it made him want to go against his gentlemanly impulses. "If he was any sort of gentleman, he'd realize that all this trauma is his fault and leave her be so she could find someone gentler!"

"None of this is his fault!" Christine reminded her husband, whose face was getting redder and redder. "The only person to blame for John's actions is John."

"But he's not here, is he?" Matthew asked her. "I can't put my hands around _his_ throat!"

"I know you want someone to blame," Liam told him. "But shouting isn't going to get us anywhere."

"What do you suggest we do instead?" Matthew spat as he threaded his fingers through Sarah's hair. "Go ahead and tell me. I'm listening."

Liam opened his mouth and shut it several times. He'd just been trying to stop the argument. He wasn't actually prepared to offer any alternative solutions.

"I thought so," Matthew nodded, his eyes narrowing. "I understand you want peace, son, especially after all we've been through, but it seems to me that what we need to do now is take some sort of action."

"And how do you suggest we do that?" Mary asked. "John is one of the most powerful magical beings in existence. You won't be able to get rid of just by shooting him. That's your favorite way to handle your problems, isn't it?"

Things went on in this manner until Sarah finally sat up and snapped, "You all shut up, okay? You're not helping. I don't want any more fighting! It's just making me feel worse." She moved herself from her father's arms to her mother's and Christine said, "What would you rather do instead? What would make you feel better?"

"I don't know," Sarah sniffled. "There's not really a well-known system for dealing with having your baby taken away from you, is there?"

"We'll find something," Christine said and hugged her. After a little bit, both Mary and Liam did too, but when Junior tried to join in, Sarah just shook her head. "You don't touch me. Please don't. Just go away."

* * *

Although the last thing Junior wanted to do was leave her, he did it anyway. He got in his car and drove around for a while, unsure of where he wanted to end up, until he found himself at his brother Finn's apartment. He knocked and waited until Daisy let him in.

"Hey," she cried, a bright smile on her face. "It's been a while since we've seen you. What brings you here?"

"Sarah and I had a fight," Junior said as he sat down.

"I'm sorry," Daisy told him as she put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure things will get better soon, though."

"I don't know about that," Junior shook his head. "They may be beyond repair. I might…I might just have to leave and start life all over again somewhere else."

"I'm sure you don't have to do anything as drastic as that," Daisy tried again. "What could possibly have happened?"

"The man who fathered me kidnapped Sarah, tortured her, and took our baby away because I wouldn't help him avenge Christian's torture by Malachai and your brothers," Junior explained. "Now I'm not saying that Sarah doesn't have a right to be upset about that, but I really resent her acting like my feelings about the situation don't matter. Like she's the only one who's allowed to grieve about this."

"Oh, I am so sorry that happened to you," Daisy sympathized and gave him a hug. "I can't imagine what that feels like."

"Well, it's not good," Junior told her. "Do the two of you have any alcohol around here?"

"Of course," Daisy gestured toward the kitchen. "Help yourself. I'm gonna go take a shower. If Finn comes back from doing his errands before I get out, will you tell him where I am?"

"Sure," Junior assured her, and then grabbed a couple bottles of beer out of the fridge while she sauntered off to the bathroom.

* * *

"Dad," Finn said as he opened the door and let Kai into his and Daisy's apartment a few hours later before going back to sit next to Junior on the sofa. "What a pleasant surprise."

"Well, it's not really," Kai replied. "I just came to warn you and Daisy about something. "Is she here?"

"She just got in the shower," Finn said. "What's the big emergency? Should Junior hear it too?"

"He probably's already heard it," Kai said. "It's about him. You know that I have to be John's lackey, don't you?" Kai asked. "Well, I know for a fact that he did something bad that I think you should know about in case he decides to do it to you too. He knew Junior was with Malachai's daughter Sarah, and he…he hurt her to try and get obedience out of Junior and it didn't end well. Since you're with one of Malachai's daughters as well, keep an eye out, all right?" He paused and looked at Junior. "You told him this already, didn't you, Sean?"

"I did," Junior nodded. "But it didn't occur to me to add that he and Daisy should be careful too. I thought John's bloodlust would be sated after us."

"I'll be careful," Finn assured Kai. "And Daisy too. Thank you." He paused. "Luckily for us, John never thought much of me, so we should be fine. Are you gonna tell Molly and Adrian too?"

"I don't know what John could do to Adrian that would really damage him, but it wouldn't hurt," Kai nodded.

"You should tell him," Finn said. "He's of Original descent, right? And John's whole goal is to obliterate all of them, isn't it?"

"Yes," Kai sighed. "Even though he's taking his sweet time with it." He then waved. "All right, I'm off then. Maybe you can come by for dinner Friday?"

"That could work," Finn nodded.

"You want to take something with you from the fridge?" Daisy asked Kai. "It's full and we won't be able to finish everything before it goes bad."

"Let me peruse," Kai said as he stepped away from the door, then grinned at Finn. "You married the right woman, Finny. You really did."

"I'm glad you think so," Finn said and put his arms around Daisy, kissing her cheek while Junior averted his eyes and tried to ignore the ache in his heart. "Cause I think so too."

* * *

"Kai!" Adrian exclaimed when his friend showed up at his house. "Did you come to have a snack or something?"

"Thanks for the offer," Kai told him and made his way inside. "But I ate at Finn and Daisy's. I have something to tell you guys about."

"What?" Molly asked. She was sitting on the living room sofa and painting her toes a bright shade of red as Rusty, his normally white fur covered in brown from rolling around in the dirt at the park, gnawed on a bone beside her. "Come to chide me about wanting to be closer to John?"

"As a matter of fact, I am," Kai said. "Junior picked a fight with him and that got Sarah kidnapped and tortured. He made her go into labor and then kidnapped her baby. You have to watch out for Adrian so nothing like that happens to him."

"It won't because unlike Junior, I am not a stubborn idiot," Molly replied calmly, then sucked in a breath and shut her eyes tight as she stuck one bare foot in a tub of ice water, then the other.

"What the hell did you do that for?" Adrian wanted to know.

"It helps the polish dry quicker," Molly explained. "I read it on the internet."

"Well, there you go then," Adrian nodded. "Can't argue with that."

Molly dried her feet off and then strode over to Kai. "Thanks for coming over and warning us about John even though we don't need to hear it. I mean, Adrian's no shrinking violet, and John likes me, so I think we'll be okay."

"I wouldn't be proud of that if I were you," Kai told her. "I've spent more time around him than you have, and he doles out more unpleasant projects to people he likes than people he hates. For all you know, he could have you killing people someday."

"And you're acting like that's problematic _why_?" Molly asked. "You kill people all the time. And I have. We _all_ have."

"Well, all right," Kai conceded. "Maybe saying he'll make you kill people wasn't the best example of why you should dread him. But I really think that by being so flippant, you're gonna get yourself in deep and not have a way out."

Molly gave him a look. "You know, you're being awfully warm and fuzzy for someone who gave up all his humanity to become John's lackey."

"Just because I went bad for John doesn't mean I can't care about people," Kai told her. "I care about you, your mother, Finny…the kid we'd have if I could just lock myself in a room with your mother for a few days. I care, Molly. Whether you believe it or not."

"I do," Molly nodded. "It's just a little weird to see it. You're not gonna hug me now, are you?"

Kai looked at Adrian. "Will you hug Molly for me?" He asked. "Apparently, she thinks it's weird when I do it."

"Sure," Adrian grinned as he grabbed Molly in a bone-crunching hug. "There."

"Thanks," Kai told him as Molly fixed her hair that Adrian had mussed. He headed to the door and then paused. "You mind if I stay here for a bit, Adrian? It's been forever since I've seen you."

"I know," Adrian nodded. "So sit your ass down on the couch. I'm sure there's a game on or something." He looked at Molly. "You wanna watch with us?"

"No, thanks," Molly crinkled her nose. "You guys have fun. I'll go…play with Rusty."

"All right," Kai cried as she led the dog out of the room. "Suit yourself, but you're really missing out!"


	74. A Chance To Move On

"Are you pregnant? Are you pregnant?"

Victoria frowned at Kai. "You realize you've asked me that every single day since we came up with this idea?"

"Yes," Kai nodded. "And every time you've said 'No'. What's the answer for today?"

Victoria narrowed her eyes and put the pregnancy test on the table. "Look at that. What does it say?"

"It says pregnant!" Kai cried. "It says pregnant!"

"Yes it does," Victoria smiled as he hugged her. "Are you happy?"

"Yes!" Kai nodded. "Cause we can say with confidence that the kid is ours and has nothing to do with my mother. Aren't _you_ excited?"

"Of course I'm excited!" Victoria told him. "But I'm still processing it. I don't know what to say." She paused. "Except…don't you dare tell John about this."

"I'm not gonna do that," Kai shook his head. "Separation of work and home life is very important." He paused. "And before you say more, I won't tell my mother either. Who _can_ I tell?"

"Anyone who wouldn't let it slip to people we don't want to hear it," Victoria said. "Like your uncle, for instance. And we have to tell Finn and Molly. We probably shouldn't wait with that. Get it out of the way so we don't have to dread it forever. We'll start with them and then we can tell the others."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Kai nodded. "You want to call the kids or should I?"

"Would you?" Victoria smiled. "I would really appreciate it."

* * *

"What did you call us here for?" Finn asked. "To tell us you're finally expecting our sibling? That we shouldn't worry cause you're always gonna love us and stuff like that?"

"Well, yes," Kai nodded. "But it doesn't seem like I need to anymore, since you already know."

"So you're literally having another kid?" Molly asked. "How long have you known?"

Kai turned. "Yeah, Victoria. How long did you know before you told me?"

"Not long," Victoria shook her head. "I mean, I found out and then waited a day until I was absolutely sure, and then I told you. So it's not like I left you in the dark forever."

They all then sat in silence before Molly let out her breath and said, "Another kid. What do you think they'll be like?"

"I have no doubt we'll have some challenges," Victoria told her. "But we'll work through them. It's totally gonna be worth it."

"Oh, come on, Vicky," Kai grinned as he patted her thigh. "I'm sure it won't be _that_ bad."

"Of course I don't _want_ it to be," Victoria told him. "But I still think it would be a good idea to prepare for any eventuality, don't you?"

"Yeah," Kai nodded. "I guess you have a point."

"Do Grandpa Declan, Grandma Regina, and all them know?" Finn asked.

"Not yet," Victoria shook her head. "I was going to call them and let them know after we told you."

"Don't you think this is something you should tell them in person?" Finn asked. "If you're feeling nervous about going alone, I'll come with you."

"Well, thank you," Victoria smiled at him. "That's very nice of you, Finny."

"It's my pleasure," Finn replied. "Would you like to go now, or do you want to wait a bit?"

"Let's do it now," Victoria said as she looked at Molly. "And I'm sure if you have any questions, you can talk to your father, right?"

"Yes, I'll be fine," Molly assured her. "Go if you need to go. It won't kill me."

* * *

So Finn and Victoria headed to her parents' house, as Victoria wondered just how her parents would take the news.

"You're pregnant again?" Declan asked as Victoria nodded.

"It's with Kai's kid this time for sure. How do you feel? Are you upset?"

"Why would we be upset?" Regina wanted to know. "Because Kai is the father? Sweetheart, that's fine. We've had time to get used to your relationship with him, and if he makes you happy, then we're good."

"Thanks," Victoria told her.

"It's your grandparents that are going to be harder to convince," Declan said. "We'll tell them if you don't want to."

"If you think they're gonna react negatively, I would appreciate it," Victoria nodded. "I feel good about this and I'm really not in the mood to have my bubble burst."

"And you shouldn't," Regina nodded. "Mom and I will work together to let Dad know. Don't worry about it."

"Now I won't," Victoria assured her as she and Finn hugged both her parents. "Thank you."

* * *

"So she still won't talk to you?" Eva asked her nephew.

"Nope," Junior replied, hanging up after a conversation with Christine, who'd told her once again that her daughter was out. He knew that Sarah was still mad and grieving and he wanted so badly to try and help her, but it was really difficult since she wasn't letting him in. "Still not talking to me. And I don't know why. Cause I can help! I want to help her so bad. I want to make up for what John did to her."

"I know you do, his uncle told him. "Maybe you should give it a rest, though. Find some other way to channel your energies. Have a change of scenery. Cause whether you want to admit it to yourself, you can't fix what John did to her. You can't bring your child back. And that's what she's struggling with."

"I thought about leaving, but now I don't know," Junior sighed and sat sandwiched between his aunt and his uncle. "But just seems wrong somehow. I don't want to leave Sarah alone when all of this happened to her because of me."

"It happened to her because of John," Eva told him again, just to emphasize a point that his guilt would not allow him to register. "Not you. And if Sarah doesn't want your help, you can't force her to take it. Coming from someone who knows a thing or two about the follies of forcing a relationship, it's better just to let them come to you. So go away, expand your horizons, send your parents a lot of wordy post cards…that sounds good, right?"

"Yeah," Junior nodded. "I suppose it might be a good idea for me to have a change of scenery. Clear my head. Stuff like that."

"It's gonna be something you definitely will be glad you did," his uncle told him. "Not only cause it will make you feel better, but just think of the stories you'll be able to tell people?"

"It all sounds good," Junior said. "But do you…do you think my parents will be all right with me just running off somewhere for months on end?"

"Well, the only way you're gonna know is if you ask them," Eva encouraged.

"Yeah, right," Junior nodded. "I'll ask them."

* * *

"You want to run off somewhere for months?" Mary asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Let him go," Liam told her. "He's grown up. He can handle himself. If he wants to have an adventure, we should let him, especially after all he's been through."

"I'm not saying he shouldn't go," Mary told her husband. "I just want him to go with a plan in mind of where. I don't want him to just be one of those wanderers who wakes up in the morning with no idea of what they're gonna do with themselves. It doesn't sound safe." She put her hands on Junior's shoulders. "So…where are you gonna go on this trip of yours? Europe? Asia? Africa? Disneyland? Do you have any idea?"

"I was thinking Europe," Junior told her. "Venice, Vienna, maybe Paris. So many places to choose from."

"Sounds like a plan," Mary nodded. "But don't forget to tell us how you are every once in a while. Sarah might not want to know where you are at the moment, but we do."

"I won't forget to send you a post card every week," Junior told her. "I promise."

"No postcards!" Mary cried, her red hair flying as she shook her head. "Those take too long to get here. "I would like you to call home once a week and tell us what you're up to. That's not too much to ask, is it?"

"No," Junior shook his head. "It's not. I promise I won't forget to call."

* * *

"Junior called again," Christine told Sarah as she returned home. "Don't you think you should at least let him know you're okay so he doesn't keep calling and worrying?"

"No," Sarah shook her head. "Cause the only reason he keeps calling is so I can relieve his guilt about what happened and I'm not in the mood to make him feel better."

Christine sighed and came to hug her. "I know you're hurting," she said. "There can't be any doubt about that, and your father and I are probably making it harder for you cause we can't possibly understand what you're going through. But Junior…he was looking forward to this kid just as much as you were. I bet he's grieving too. And maybe if you grieved together it could…it could make things better. You'd have someone that you could actually talk to that would know how you felt. Now, I'm not saying you need to, but…maybe you should think about giving him a call."

"I might," Sarah huffed. "I'll think about it."

* * *

When she was finally ready to take her mother's advice and call Junior, he didn't seem as over the moon to hear from her as she thought he would be after she'd ignored him for so long.

"I'm glad you called," he told her in a subdued voice. "The fact that it took you so long to call me back just proves that you want me to leave you alone, so…I am. You won't have to worry about having me in your life or causing you any more trouble."

"Sean, that's not why I didn't call you back," she told him quickly. "I don't want us to break up. Mom helped me realize that you're the one person who can help me through this mess. I don't want you to go."

"I have to," Junior told her. "If I don't, John will just cause more trouble for you and you don't deserve that. That's why I'm going to Europe. I don't know for how long, but hopefully, by the time I come back, this whole mess will be over. I'm sorry things had to end like this, but…I really love you, Sarah."

"I love you too, Sean," Sarah said, tears falling down her face as she gripped the phone. "I really do! Why don't you take me with you? We can see Europe together!"

"Someday, I hope we can," Junior said. "But it's not the time now. Now I have to do this on my own. And believe me, you probably are meant for more than just being with me anyway. Now's your chance to find out. Goodbye, Sarah. And good luck."

* * *

"I'm sorry for getting you sucked into this thing with Christian," Sam apologized to Leslie. "I know you probably hate having to go against your sister."

"Here's what I think about that," Leslie told him. "While she has every right to be mad at Christian, her determination to keep Sophia away from Christian forever when he's done nothing but be concerned and caring toward her is a bit much. Looking at it that way, I'm more than happy to help you with Christian. It's no trouble."

With Leslie on board, Sam went to get someone else to agree with his plan.

"You want me to let your friend Christian come live here?" Damon asked in surprise.

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "Is that a problem?"

"Didn't he kill my sister?" Annie asked, her green eyes flashing under her short hair. "Will I need to look over my shoulder in case he comes after _me_?"

"He won't come after you," Sam said irritably. "What happened with him and Jill was a one-time thing. You aren't in danger."

"Fine," Annie huffed. "If he can't find somewhere else to stay, he can stay here."

* * *

"So…what's your answer?" Sam asked next time he saw Christian. "Should Leslie and I be making up a room for you?"

"Thanks, but…you and I both know that's a bad idea," Christian grinned and put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Me being in a house with two of Jill's sisters? I'll be murdered in my sleep!"

"Leslie wouldn't do that to you!" Sam cried. "I mean, Annie might, but Leslie won't."

"Annie's the one I'm worried about," Christian told him. "And that's why I asked Mom to move into the apartment with me so she wouldn't have to spend all her time with her brother, and she accepted. She moved in a few days ago."

"And that's fine?" Sam got out. "She's okay with the wolves and all?"

"Yeah," Christian nodded. "They've really taken to her."

As Leslie came in and joined them, Sam told her, "The answer's 'no'. Apparently, he'd rather live with his mother than with us."

"What a shame," Leslie said, feeling genuinely upset. "I mean, I understand your choice, and I'm sure Annie will be thrilled, but…I think we could've had a good time."

"Oh, please," Sam told her. "You were hoping he would come and stay so you'd have someone to side with you when you and I fight."

"That's just one of the many benefits that would have existed if Christian had come to live with us," Leslie replied primly. "But not the only one, of course." She paused. "Can I have a drink? Vodka and cranberry?"

"Sure," Sam nodded. "Coming right up." He paused. "And Christian, I'm glad you found a living arrangement that works for you." He paused. "Your mother's seen your demon form, right?"

"No, not yet," Christian shook his head. "I'm surprised it didn't pop up when she opened the door to Sophia's nursery. I was pretty angry then. But she needs to see some time, I think."

"You want me to be there when you show her?" Sam offered.

"I'll come too," Leslie added.

"Thanks," Christian told them. "That would be…that would be very nice, I think." Then he sat down and asked for a beer as Sam deftly changed the topic of conversation to something more cheerful so his friend wouldn't have to dread the thought of possibly being rejected by his mother when she saw the monster within.


	75. Being Human

"I can't believe I'm human!" Leslie huffed as she washed the after-dinner dishes by hand, some of the leftover food getting on her hands. "This is so laborious and boring!"

"Oh, it's not so bad, stop whining," Sam said as he snatched the plate from her hands and dried it off with a green and white striped dish towel that hung over his shoulder. "In fact, I think not having powers for a while might be a good experience for you."

Leslie's face twisted. "I don't think so. This is worse than that camper disaster you called a honeymoon. And how are you so calm? People don't just wake up one day and lose their powers. Something has to be really wrong."

"Well, maybe I _should_ be worried," Sam conceded. "But I _can't_ be in the same way you are. I've been human. So it's kind of a walk in the park for me."

Leslie narrowed her eyes and splashed water on him. "Well aren't you lucky?" She spat.

"Yes," Sam grinned and grabbed the sprayer on the faucet, pressing the button after turning the sink on. "I am!"

Leslie let out a shriek and ran for cover as she was soaked with water, hiding under the table, rolled up into a ball until she realized that he couldn't come any closer because the length of the sprayer held him back.

"Okay," Sam assured her after he'd put it back in its place. "I'm done now. You can come out."

Leslie did so, her wet hair stuck to her face. He caught her as she tripped on some water on the floor, held her against himself, and kissed her.

"I'm gonna kill you!" She whispered. "Look how wet I am! And I can't even dry myself off!"

"Okay," Sam obliged with a grin and a twinkle in his blue eyes as he held her at arms' length and took in her wet clothing clinging you know, you look good wet," he told her.

"Oh, shut up!" Leslie told him as she stomped off to the bathroom, presumably to shower and change clothes, leaving Sam to finish washing the dinner dishes himself.

* * *

By bedtime, her attitude about their whole situation hadn't improved. Annie was in as bad a mood about the loss of her powers as Leslie was, and the two of them had been feeding off each other's bad emotions.

"I hate this!" Leslie stomped her foot. "What am I supposed to do without my powers?"

"Just live your life," Sam shrugged. "Sure, it'll be harder for you and that sucks, but…you'll learn. I mean, look how well Dad and I are handling it."

"But you said that was something you both had experience with, so of course it will be easy for you," Leslie replied as she climbed into bed next to him. " _I'm_ different. Annie's different."

"Oh, I know that," Sam assured her as he turned over on his belly and ran his fingers through her now dry blonde hair. "But just because you've never lived without powers before doesn't mean you _can't_. Like I said, we'll all help you. I know you're frustrated, but we're going to figure out what the hell happened and fix it. Just trust me, all right? Do you?"

Leslie stared at him for so long and was so silent that at first he was afraid she would say 'No' and most likely be gone from their bed by morning. But then she put her arms around him, kissed him, and said, "Yes, I trust you. Can we go see your mom as soon as possible? I want to know what she thinks about all this."

"Of course we will," Sam promised before he clapped off the light. "But how about we give it a few days before we see her so you can actually _try_ to adjust on your own first? And if you absolutely can't, then we'll go see my mother. Is that fair?"

"Yes, I suppose," Leslie huffed. "Whatever." Her head lay on his bare chest then and she whispered, "Goodnight, Sam."

"Goodnight, Leslie," he replied.

* * *

"I can't believe Victoria's actually pregnant," Adrian told Kai as they drove to Roxie's. "I think you deserve a few rounds on me."

"You mean in _addition_ to all the drinking we're gonna do because we're human?" Kai asked. "That's the reason I think I deserve a drink. I've never been human before! I don't know what to do!" He looked at Adrian. "Do you?"

"No, but my mother does," Adrian reminded him. "We could always talk to her." He grinned. "And maybe if you're nice to her, she'll give you a cookie."

"There's a bright spot," Kai nodded. "Let's do it!" He paused. "Will it shock her if we show up to her house drunk?"

"Nah," Adrian shook his head. "She'll probably be as drunk as we are when we get there."

When they arrived at the bar, they noticed Roxie's car was gone. They then went inside and Adrian saw a young man approach them, looking very perturbed, his dark eyes flashing. It was Patrick, and he'd come to see Addie. "Hey," he said. "What do you want? The bar is closed."

"No, it's not," Adrian shook his head. "I didn't see a sign."

"Well, I'm telling you it is," Patrick remarked, calling two men who helped him shove them out the door, but not before Adrian saw Addie standing behind the bar and inhaling something white.

"Well, that was a close call," Patrick remarked as the intruders were tossed onto the cement and the door was slammed behind them. He then looked at Addie and said, "Are those men regulars? Do you know them?"

"Yes, I know them," Addie nodded. "The blond one is my uncle."

That made Patrick's dark eyes narrow. "How good is he at keeping his mouth shut? You don't think he'll tell anyone what he saw here, do you?"

"Well, Kai's not the most moral of men from what I saw, so I'm pretty sure we're safe," Addie nodded, tried to boost herself on to the bar, missed, and landed on her butt on the floor.

"Are you okay, your highness?" Patrick grinned as he peered over the bar at Addie, who looked up and glared at him.

"Yes," she nodded and got to her feet. "No thanks to you, I'm fine. You know, people showing up was exactly why I didn't want to get the stuff from you here. And what did you do to my parents to get them out of the way, anyway? You didn't kill them, did you?"

"Without magic?" Patrick scoffed. "What do you think I am, an idiot?"

Addie shrugged. "I don't know, you could be. We don't know each other very well."

"Well, I'm not," Patrick snapped, showing his teeth. "Although I suppose you have a point about us dealing in a more private place."

"Do you have one?" Addie asked. "If you don't, that's fine."

"No, I do," Patrick assured her and pulled a card out of his pocket. "I worked at one before I got brought into this coven business."

Addie took the card, looked at it, and scoffed. "The Demon Club? That's real subtle."

Patrick shrugged. "Don't look at me. I didn't pick the name. It's a sports club, mainly catering to boxers, but we also move a lot of good product there, too."

"And you don't get caught?" Addie asked. "I'm not committing to going anywhere unless I can be assured I won't get in trouble."

"You worry about getting in trouble?" Patrick asked. "I thought you were the type who didn't care about the risk."

"I'm not in that deep yet," Addie replied. "I probably will be some day, but at this point, a part of me is still able to care about the consequences of my actions."

Patrick chuckled and whispered in her ear. "Well, you come to the club like I suggested and we'll rid you of that, I promise."

"Really?" Addie smiled. "I can't wait."

"Really and truly," Patrick smiled and put his fingers under her chin. "Would I lie to you?"

* * *

When Adrian and Kai arrived at Elijah and Selina's house a few days later, they found them, along with Klaus, Amy, Kol, and Mikael, sitting at the kitchen table.

"Hi," Adrian waved at them. "We came to ask if you knew something about powers being lost, but…is that what this little meeting is about?"

"Yes!" Kol snapped. "And I hate it! It's probably the Phoenix's doing! Why couldn't he have just killed us?"

"It'll be good for you, boy," Mikael told him. "It could help you learn how to better control yourself." He looked pointedly at Selina. "You too."

"Oh, I don't think so," Selina smiled at him. "It wasn't too long ago that I was human. And when you were with my mother, did the two of you ever talk about me? Don't you know that I was just as much trouble then as I am now?"

"Yes," Mikael nodded. "As a matter of fact, I _do_ remember Amelia mentioning that."

"Personally, I think this could be a good lesson for all of us," Selina said. "A little break from more of the same."

"Of course you'd like it," Mikael told her. "It's something you're used to."

"Well you were human once too," Selina reminded him. "Or has it been so long that you just don't remember? If it was one of your children complaining because they had magic prior to being vampires, I would understand the problem, but you…not so much."

"How dare you speak to me like that!" Mikael cried and got up from his chair, nearly jumping over the table to get Selina, but Kol and Elijah held him back.

"Just let it go, Father," Elijah advised. "Take a deep breath and let it go."

"Do we have any idea what spell was used to make us lose our powers?" Kai asked, sitting down at the table without being invited. "To undo this, we should probably start there."

"Nope," Amy shook her head. "I mean, we've been looking, but we pretty much have nothing to go on, other than the fact that it was the Phoenix who cast the spell, and whatever he did was pretty damn powerful."

"If the Phoenix did the spell, then we're kind of screwed, aren't we?" Kai asked. "Cause that means he's the only one who can undo it and I can tell you with absolute certainty that I know he has no intention of coming back from where he is. Not for a long time, anyway."

"Well, can't you tell him what happened and ask him to come back?" Amy asked.

"That wouldn't work," Klaus told her. "Why would he just agree to undo a spell he cast for a damn good reason? He won't come back just because his lackey asks."

"So I guess we all have no choice but to sit back and get used to being human for a while then, don't we?" Selina said.

"Yes," Elijah nodded. "That's what it looks like."

"I think we can do it," Selina told them all. "And it's not like we have any other choice."

"I hate it when you're right," Mikael glared at her. "I really do."

 **The End**

 **Next up: The Good, The Bad, and the Evil: When demons invade and start infesting people, John returns and actually agrees to team with the Mikaelsons to help get rid of the threat.**


End file.
